The Tutor
by Olivia St. Clair
Summary: When Bella Swan, leader of the social elite at Forks High, finds herself failing Spanish class, she turns to the nerdy, but cute Edward Cullen. The problem is, Edward doesn't really like Bella.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Alright this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, so be gentle. Just kidding :) So i got this idea while I was sitting at home bored to death wondering what to do with my time. If you don't like it that's fine, it you do, that's great! I am always reading fanfic for Twilight, so I think it was time to see what I could to with writing one. Alright here is The Tutor and I really hope you enjoy :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Mrs. Stephanie Meyer does. I'm just playing around with her characters.**

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Mr. Rodriguez was droning on and on about our next test coming up in two weeks. It was the big one, the mother of all bombs, the intimidating and slightly ridiculous mid-term that would either make or break our grades in Spanish class. I kept my head down on my crossed arms laying on my desk wondering when in heavens name the bell would ring so I could leave my final period and go hang out with someone who wasn't as socially awkward as Mr. Rodriguez.

"Y para todos lo que quieren ayuda en esta clase, pueden ir a la biblioteca por que Señor Edwardo Cullen ha ofertado su tiempo para ayudar los estudiantes que no estan haciendo muy bien con su español. Okay what did I just say?"

Mike Newton, one of the many idiotic yet somehow popular guys at school, snickered in the front row with his buddies and said, "Something about that nerdy tard Edward offering help in Spanish. What a geek, he can barely keep his four eyes out of a book, let alone lead a tutoring session."

The whole class erupted in laughter at the mention of Edward, but I just sat there with my head down, trying to regain some of the sleep I had lost the night before. My parents were fighting again, this time it was something along the lines of them not being able to trust each other when they led such different lives. My mom, Renee, was a successful interior designer who ran her own business outside of our little town of Forks, Washington and my dad, Charlie, was just your average Chief who sat in the Police office waiting for anything along the lines of criminal to happen. In a small town like mine, there really was no crime except for the occasional obscene graffiti from the wise cracks at Forks High School.

I lifted my head up to find Mike turned a good 180 degrees in his seat and staring at me with no attempts to cease his rude ogling. When I caught his eyes, he smiled that boyish grin I grew accustomed to ever since the fifth grade when he accidently touched my boob. Since then, he'd been trying to get his hands on me for a second time, but I never gave him the time of day. He was mouthing something to me, but I pretended not to understand the words "Bella, I want you" being shaped with his lips. I internally rolled my eyes and put my head back down again for the sheer fact that I would start blushing. I wasn't into Mike 'Pervert' Newton, but I could never really help myself when anything male tried to hit on me. I should've been used to it ever since my "social status" at this school elevated to new heights my sophomore year, but somehow I still always felt blush enter my cheeks at anything embarrassing and audacious.

"Newton, eyes forward before I put the sombrero on your head," Mr. Rodriguez stated in a very authoritative teacher voice.

I looked up to see Mike's mock performance of cringing in his seat while wailing, "Oh no, not the sombrero, oh God noooooooooo!" The whole class began to laugh for the second time at Mike's wild antics.

"That's it Newton," Mr. Rodriguez walked over to the corner of the room where the overly large 'Sombrero of Shame' was resting on its high pedestal. Even though Mike's back was turned toward me, I could distinctly imagine that annoying smirk on his face. _Always the one seeking attention. _

Mr. Rodriguez had the Sombrero of Shame in hand and was about to put it on Mike's head, when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Mike's buddies began to cackle hysterically, giving him slaps on the back for being "The man."

This time I actually rolled my eyes in their direction as I got up and put my book bag over my shoulder. My friend, Angela, walked up to me with a small smile on her face and her Spanish book in hand. "Can you believe we actually hang out with those guys."

I returned her sweet smile and let out a small laugh. "Impossible to believe, I know." I grabbed my folder from the book cradle under my desk and began putting all my loose papers in order.

When I looked back up at Angela, her little forehead was creased as if she was trying to concentrate awfully hard on something.

"What," I asked, wondering if I had anything on my face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah of course. Sleep deprivation that's all."

"Are you sure?" Angela reached out to squeeze my hand in hers. She always had this weird way of knowing when I was a bit off. I guess that's why she was really one of the only real friends I had at this school. She was in sync with my moods and always knew how to comfort me when I was down. In turn, I wanted to be that same friend for her, and I hated whenever I let her down or lied to her like I was doing now.

I nodded my head and brightened my smile by showing her my pearly whites. Angela laughed, and was about to walk with me out the door, when she stumbled into Mike.

"Woah woah Angela girl! I know I'm irresistible, but watch the pecks. They're lethal." Mike snickered at his narcissistic comment and began to rub his chest as if it hurt.

Angela fixed Mike with one of her glares and tapped her foot impatiently. "Mike don't be such a moron, or I'm going to have to call Ben over."

"Oh Ben Shmen. He's nothing I can't handle."

"Oh really," I heard Ben, Angela's longtime boyfriend, speak up from the seat across the classroom.

Mike shouted louder than necessary and pounded his heart with his fist and said, "Kidding man. Kidding. You know I love you bro."

I heard Ben mumble something inappropriate under his breath as he packed up his oversized backpack with his books.

I shook my head in annoyance at Ben and Mike's bromance as I tried to walk out of the class without being stopped by another one of Mike's endeavors to ask me out.

I guess I wasn't quick enough.

"Hey pretty Bella! Wait just a minute babe."

I swung around and stood in the middle of the room waiting for Mike to just get another date proposal over with as I tapped my foot, mimicking Angela's former impatience with this annoying child.

He walked up to me slowly, as if he was one of the most intriguing specimens on the planet. Once a few inches away from me, he grabbed my hand, rose it up to his mouth, and kissed it lightly.

All I could do was try not to laugh at his sad impression of romancing a girl.

"I was wondering, if you weren't busy tonight---"

I huffed annoyingly and stopped him before he could get the words out. "Mike how many times do I have to tell you, it's not going to happen."

"Come on Bella, I know you're wildly attracted to me."

I flung my arms in the air and began to sarcastically follow along. "You know, I think your right. 'I want you, I need you, oh baby oh baby.'"

I'm pretty sure he didn't even realize that I was quoting 10 Things I Hate About You when Kat and Pat were having one of their infamous arguments in the book store. I'm sure all he heard were the words 'want' and 'need.'

"So you agree? I mean I am not just imagining your attraction toward me? I knew it! Ever since that time in the fifth grade---"

I couldn't help myself. I rose my free hand up and smacked Mike across the head and stomped on his foot with my Mary Jane flats. I was suddenly regretting the fact that I didn't wear my five inch heels today. "Mike! Grow a brain! I. Don't. Like. You! Never have, never will. Now can you please move your body mass out of my way so I can get out of here?"

Mike was rubbing his head looking dejected and sad, but I honestly didn't care. He had rubbed me the wrong way too many times before and I was done with his disgusting insinuations about he and I possibly getting together.

Mike stopped his ministrations on his head and set his arm down. To my surprise, he began to smile from ear to ear like the time he was offered free condoms in Sex Ed. I internally groaned at that wretched grin.

"You…are…amazing, Bella Swan. I think I've fallen in love with you all over again." Mike practically skipped out of the room with his back pack bouncing off his back. _Well I'm glad you're going to have a nice weekend. _

As I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time today, I decided it was finally time to get out of this class. But before I could even put a foot over the threshold, I heard Mr. Rodriguez clear his throat and say my name in that Spanish accent of his.

I turned and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry professor, that won't happen again."

"Isabella, why don't you take a seat?" Mr. Rodriguez motioned with his hand for me to sit in the desk that was facing opposite his. I consented, and set my book bag down, wondering when I would ever leave to start my weekend.

Mr. Rodriguez cleared his throat again, opened a file that was sitting on his desk, and pushed his glasses up his nose. _Uh-oh_. I didn't have to be good at reading body language to know something was up.

"Sir with all due respect, I would really appreciate it if you could make this quick. I have to meet some friends for coffee."

Mr. Rodriguez smiled at my impatience and stood up to walk in front of his desk and lean on it. "Bella, how are you doing in the rest of your classes?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Fine I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well I understand the material, if that's what you're asking."

"Homework not too hard, reading comprehension is up to par?"

I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms over my chest. "Is there something wrong Mr. Rodriguez?"

Rodriguez mimicked my shrugging shoulders and pushed up his glasses again. "Oh no, nothing at all. Just the fact that you are failing my class, and you don't seem to give a money's worth about it."

At the word 'fail,' I perked up in my seat and my jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"Not even a little. See Bella, I know that High School can be tough on girls like you. All the dances, the makeup, the boys, more boys, hell let's just say all the boys."

I gasped at what Mr. Rodriquez was insinuating. For Christ's sake he was making me sound like a whore.

"…and I know a silly little class like Spanish isn't on the top of your list of oh so important priorities, but I highly recommend you start making it one, because trust me, this can and will do a lot of damage to your graduation requirements."

"You've got to be shitting me," I mumbled under my breath. It was true that I did have a social life and that I liked doing things other than academic work, but I was never a bad student. I always turned in my homework on time, I did good on tests and quizzes, and I rocked the literature and essay's in English. Failure was never a part of my vocabulary.

I was shaking my head backwards and forwards, trying to get a grip on what Rodriguez was telling me. Finally I found my voice, but it came out in a pathetic whisper. "Where are all these failing assignments you're talking about."

Mr. Rodriguez reached over with one hand to the file sitting on his desk and dropped it sloppily onto my desk. I closed my eyes and slowly opened the folder, wondering what I was going to witness inside. When I finally got up the nerve to open my eyes, my jaw dropped in horror at the obscene color of red starring up at me. Red mark after red mark was slashed through all the papers I had turned in for the past month. What was even more disturbing was the foreign "F" starring back at me on top of every page. It was like Rodriguez's own personal way of saying, "F you Bella Swan."

I closed the folder with a small slam on the desk and dared to look up at my teacher. He was in the exact same position, assessing my reaction. I sighed into the palms of my hands, too exasperated with what I was about to ask him. "What can I do?"

Rodriquez opened his arms wide like he was about to embrace an imaginary person. "Aah the redeeming four word phrase. 'What can I do?'"

I had finally had it. Today was already ruined, and if I had to deal with this stereotyping Spanish teacher for another second, I was going to make sure that that Sombrero of Shame became permanently attached to his head. I slammed my hands on the desk a little harder and finally got Mr. Rodriguez's full attention.

He smirked and pushed off his desk in order to walk behind it to grab something from one of the drawers. It was a tiny note pad on which he began to scribble something. He ripped the note out and extended it toward me, giving me no indication that he was going to get up and hand it to me. So I stood up myself, walked up to his desk and asked, "What is it?"

"Just take it Miss. Swan. And do what you will with it."

I scoffed loudly, snatched it from his hand and grabbed my stuff to leave. As I walked out, I heard him call out, "Have a good weekend Señorita Swan."

I flung my hands up in the air and strode to my locker. Nobody was in the halls. They were all probably off doing something fun with all their friends, like I should've been doing. When I finally reached my locker, I pulled out all the books I needed for my homework this weekend. I slammed my locker door with full force and ran out of the school and to my truck. The weather was its usual dark, cold, and cloudy, with chance of rain. Even though I had lived here all my life, I still longed for the sun to peak its head out so that I could wear a tang-top and tan. But with my creamy complexion, I was pretty sure I would do more harm than good.

I started my truck and waited for the small space to get warm as I turned up the heater. I had set my book bag on the floor and when I went to pick it up, I spotted the small sticky note that Rodriguez had given me so smugly. Thanks to my prideful nature, I had decided not to glance at it in his presence for fear that I might find something along the lines of, "Isabella Marie Swan: Epic Failure At Life" written on it.

Instead, what I found was even more shocking. Scribbled at the top was the name Edward Cullen and what looked like a phone number. "What…" Why would Mr. Rodriguez give me Edward Cullen's number. Sure, I knew the kid since that time he let me borrow his crayons in kindergarten, but it made absolutely no sense.

And that's when it hit me: Mike's annoying attempt to get attention flew through my mind. _Something about that nerdy tard Edward offering help in Spanish. What a geek, he can barely keep his four eyes out of a book, let alone lead a tutoring session._

I pinched my eyes shut and whispered the dreaded word I had never been faced with in my entire life. "Tutoring…"

As if my head lost all of its balance on my neck, it flew forward and landed on my steering wheel. From miles away, I bet anyone could hear the blaring noises coming from the horn on my wheel

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**Alright there you go! The first chapter of The Tutor. Leave a review if you want, and if you don't no worries, I will just be happy to know you took the time to read my crappy writing. **

**Lots of love, Olivia.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright here is Chapter 2. I forgot to factor in the fact that I had work today, so hopefully this isn't coming to you too late. Here's a little bit of more Bella fun and i will see you down below!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Steph Meyer does. I just like making up a pretencious Bella and a nerdy Edward. **

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Chapter 2

BPOV

I was on the verge of starvation when I got home. I knew I should've stopped at the store to grab some Hot Cheetoes or something equally delicious so that my taste buds could have a party before entering the "House Where All Pot Dishes Went To Die." Renee meant well when she tried to pick up cooking, but sadly it just wasn't a talent of hers. One time when I was about five, she broke the microwave attempting to make popcorn. I smiled at my mom's sad attempts to be a good house wife, but my father and I were never ashamed to tell her she should keep to her strengths like driving to get take out or pizza.

So when I pulled up into the driveway of my house, I was beyond horrified to see my mother through the kitchen window holding what looked like a spatula covered in brownish goo.

"No, no, no…not again," I said frantically under my breath as I pulled the key out of the ignition with superhuman force and ran to the door that was fortunately open. I ran straight for the kitchen and didn't even greet my dad who was most likely planted on the couch watching the game on the new plasma screen TV. When I made it to the kitchen door, I was panting. I deliberately pointed a finger at my mother who was shimmying to a song on the kitchen radio and screamed, "Put the spatula down woman!"

My mother, in pencil skirt and black dress shirt, turned toward me in surprise still in mid-shimmy. She had one of her fingers in her mouth and the other still raised with the spatula.

"Bella," she sang as I walked farther into enemy territory.

"Mom, please. Remember Nana's 89th Birthday when you tried to make that seven layer dip? I am doing this for your own good. Let's not make another stove suffer the death of cooking suicide for the sake of making you happy. Please?"

My mother rolled her eyes at me and returned to the pot on the stove. "Bella don't be so melodramatic."

"Who's being melodrama---Mom I mean it! Stop the stirring! Stop!"

"Bella what has gotten into y---"

Before she could get the word 'you' out, the inevitable happened. Fabric from my mom's blouse got stuck in the pot handle, and as she turned towards me to address my flagrant cries, the pot flew up and off the stove and landed in a yucky pile of bean soup on the floor. I had already put my hands over my eyes so that I wouldn't have to be a witness to "Pot Death Number 30."

When my arms finally drooped down to view the wreckage, my mother was frozen in shock, staring down at the pot of beans. When she finally came to, she looked at me and said, "Oh."

"Yup."

"Well Bella this isn't my fault! You distracted me," my mother wailed as she made flapping motions with her arms.

I ran to the stove behind her and quickly shut off the fire that was now fully exposed, thanks to my mother's clumsy movement.

"Mom! Fire, wind, not good! Stop flapping."

"Oh," Renee said for the second time in two minutes.

I huffed and snatched the spatula out of Renee's hands and dumped it in the sink. Then, I proceeded to pick up the pot, may it rest in peace, and placed it gently in the sink alongside the spatula. "Mop…mop," I began to mumble as I desperately tried to find that inanimate object that miraculously put kitchen floors back together. I found it in the laundry room that was adjoined to the kitchen and I swiftly threw down some cleaning solution and began to scrub away with every ounce of strength I could muster. Finally, there were only bits of bean residue left, so I grabbed a cloth to pick it all up. When I was done, I let out a big sigh and put my hands on my hips, congratulating my job well done.

When I turned around, I spotted my mom at the table with her head in her hands. It looked like she was about to cry. I walked over to her and put my hand on her back. "Mom, it's okay. There will be other pots. Don't cry."

From inside her hands I heard her say, "Number?"

"What?"

"What number is it?"

"Mom it doesn't matter. I will personally buy you a new pot."

"Bella please."

I sighed again for the hundredth time today and decided to give my mom what she wanted.

"Number 30."

"Oh God! I killed my thirtieth pot! I'm such a horrible person…" She was shaking her head in her hands, refusing to look up at me.

I stood there for a few minutes before she calmed down just stroking her back. After a while of tears and sadness, Renee decided to get up and stand in front of the pot in the sink, surveying the damage she had done. "It has a dent…"

I walked up beside Renee and looked down at the pot as well. "Do you want another ceremony, or should we just throw it out?"

Since the day Renee took up cooking, there was a tradition that we had after she inevitably killed the pot. We had a very spacious backyard thanks to Renee's designing. In a small corner of the yard, we had a little land closed off, dubbed the "Pots and Pans Graveyard," where we buried every single one of Renee's pots and pans she had massacred. She would go through a few hours of mourning, but then get back on her horse, and resort to take out food for a few months. Then, she would go through the same motions and try to cook again.

My mother sniffed and wiped away her tears. "Just throw it out. I'm never cooking again."

_I heard that one before…_ I thought as I took the pot in my hand and walked out the side door to put it next to all the trash bins so that the trash man could take it away. As I closed the door behind me, I heard the muffled voice of my dad asking my mother if she was okay.

I could hear her break down again in short sobs saying, "I---I'm--- ba—bad --- cook…"

I heard Charlie get off the couch and walk somewhere. Hopefully he was going to comfort my mother, but knowing Charlie, he wasn't really good at the whole emotional thing.

When I walked out, a gust of wind blew in my face. I walked against the wind towards the trash cans and flung the pot onto a pile of random trash bags waiting to be picked up on Monday. As I turned back to my house I looked to the direction of the lonely house across the way from mine. It was more like a mansion compared to my home. It was all white with the cutest little porch and Victorian style windows. It was the Cullen house. As I kept starring, I was surprised to see the door open and a young boy my age walk out with what seemed to be a trash bag similar to the ones in my driveway. He was tall, skinny, with wavy reddish hair and glasses that slid down his nose every five seconds. I stepped back into the house thinking back to the note Mr. Rodriguez had given me about Edward Cullen.

I could've made it easy and just walk right over to the Cullen residence, seeing as we were neighbors, and ask---no, grovel---for Edwards help, but that pride thing got to me again and I decided to wait it out and see. I didn't hate Edward, but I didn't like him either. He had lived across the street from me since we were little and even then, we never really talked. On the rare occasion, he would sometimes come over to give my mother a hand with little things around the yard. My mom would even tease about how he would just come over because he wanted to see me. One day in the first grade I walked straight up to him with his big black glasses and asked him point blank if he liked me. When all he did was shrug and look away, I got offended, took off his glasses and broke them right in front of his face. I got in trouble and was forced to stay in my classroom the whole of break and lunch.

I guess that's what started the whole me not talking to Edward bit even though I had known him my whole life. He was super shy, and I was an outgoing social butterfly. Our worlds never mixed.

That's what I used to justify me not calling him for help.

When I walked back inside, I looked into the living room and gasped at the television. It was off…wooow. But that's when I heard it. My parents bedroom was downstairs and I could hear them yelling at each other again…for the sixth day in a row, and for some reason I was always caught off guard because of it. I was usually out with friends or upstairs sneaking out of my window and scaling the wall in order to get out of the house. So I never got to witness what my parents were going through on a day to day basis. For the past couple of weeks, I had decided to stay indoors for the sake of just catching up on sleep. I was going out too much with friends late at night and I thought maybe if I could take a break, I would be back in shape to go out again. That never happened. Because every time I tried to close my eyes, I would hear their voices arguing with one another. It got so bad one night that I heard my dad say, "Fine you want me to leave? I will!"

I heard the door slam and his police cruiser pull out of the garage. That night, I stayed in my room, and heard my mother cry all night long. The next day, I had bags under my eyes and one of my friends Jessica almost spilt food all over herself when she saw me at lunch. She tried not to gasp in horror, but I could still see the shock in her eyes of the sight of me, Bella Swan, leader of the Social Elite at Forks High School, with bags under my eyes. I guess it wasn't a good time to also tell her that I never wore makeup, except for some clear lip gloss that I only wore for the taste. Embarrassing? Yes. Did I care? No.

Somehow I had found my way into my room and perched on my window sill, just looking out as the sun set. It was beautiful to watch from where I sat and as I saw it slowly go down, I sighed and wondered how in the world I had got to this point. My parents not being able to stand the sight of each other, the usual drama with Mike, my failing grade in Spanish, and now the thought of actually asking Edward Cullen for help. I had to admit, life could be worse, but at this moment I just wanted to curl up in my blankets and never come back out again. The only two people who I could really talk to about this were both unavailable. I knew for a fact that Angela was out with Ben tonight, and Alice…well Alice was across the country in New York interning for Vogue.

I really missed Alice, my kindred spirit since the time we were born. Alice was super smart and ambitious, so when she was offered to skip the sixth grade and go straight into Forks Junior High, she hopped on that chance in a millisecond. It meant I was losing my best friend to the cruel upper classmen, but I still always got to see her after school. She was my partner in crime, my long lost sister, my best friend. She was the one who got smashing drunk, and I was the one who held her hair while she vomited in toilets at parties. I was the one who would get overly emotional and she was the one who hugged me until I stopped crying. And now she was gone. And I missed her so much.

As if Alice could sense my distress, I heard my phone buzz signaling I had gotten a text message.

I walked to my nightstand, grabbed my new IPhone and opened the message that was from Alice. I smiled as I read it to myself.

**How's my awesome kindred doing?**

**Doing well…**

**Uh-oh what happened?**

**How do you know something happened?**

**Duh Bella, the bond. Don't doubt the bond. I'm going to call you…**

**Alice don't---**

It was too late. My phone began to ring "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble and I knew I was about to get an earful from the little yet spunky person otherwise known as my best friend. I put the phone to my ear and said, "Hello Alice."

"Okay what's got you down Bella darling?"

"Nothing it's just---"

"UGH! It's Mike isn't it? Did he try to make a move on you again? Did he go too far this time? I swear even after I threatened him with the pepper spray that one time, he still hasn't gotten it through his thick head. Stupid idiot son of a---"

"Alice! Okay I think we get that Mike isn't one of your favorite people, but this isn't about him."

"Oh, well why didn't you say that?"

I rolled my eyes at Alice's insane ramblings. I guess that's why I loved her so much. Even though we both had a knack for causing a little bit of trouble now and then, I was still the less outgoing of the two. When Alice left for New York to study fashion, I think almost every parent in Forks had a celebratory party and all the guys had a mourning party. I shook my head at how dull Forks had become after Alice left town. But then again, I assumed it was time for the town to get a break.

"So Alice how goes New York? Meet a man who can keep up with your life yet?"

Ever since I knew Alice, she was always one step ahead of everyone. If you couldn't keep up with her, she would barely have time to notice because she was already several miles ahead. Sometimes I found it tough being her friend, but then again, I was probably one of the few people who she would pick up and carry with her so she made sure I wasn't left in her dust.

"No, no way Bella. Do not distract me with boy talk, even though I have some super juicy news for you! Shit…okay tell me what's wrong, and then I will tell you my news."

I sighed and just decided to tell her what had happened with Mr. Rodriguez. "Well, I had to stay behind in Spanish class today, and my professor basically flat out told me I was failing his class and that it could most likely affect my graduation requirements."

"Wait how can it affect you graduation requirements? And is Mr. Rodriguez still the Spanish teacher, because that man is hot!"

"Ew Alice not what I need to hear and yes it is still that prick, who by the way insinuated that I was a loose girl who liked to get laid a lot."

Alice began to laugh hysterically. "Pft please. Even I know you're still a vi---"

"Alice don't you dare say the 'v' word!"

"Sorry sorry! Ok so what about these graduation requirements?"

"Okay, so I needed at least two years of Spanish to graduate, and me being stupid, I decided to wait for my two last years in high school to take them. If I don't pass that class, I may not be able to get my diploma and colleges will see that and they won't think I'm responsible and then they won't let me into their school so I will end up without my college education working at the diner for the rest of my life!" My voice started to get higher and higher in pitch as I began to panic.

"Woah Bella calm down. Everything's going to be fine. Forget about Mr. Deuce Rodriguez. Now what can you do to pull up your grade? Are their tutors or extra classes you can take?"

"Oh right, _that_. Rodriguez gave me Edward Cullen's number."

Alice snorted into the phone. _Wow Alice. Attractive much?_

"The nerd with the glasses that barely stay on his face? What is he trying to do, mate you with Forks' social outcast or something?"

"No Alice. Edward tutors in Spanish every day after school at the public library. The teach suggested I take some sessions with him."

"Oh."

And that's all Alice said . I waited for two minutes before she spoke again.

"Well why don't you do it then?"

"What?"

"Have Edward tutor you. What's the big deal? Here I thought you had no way out of this dreaded situation, but you do. So take it."

"Am I hearing you correctly?"

"What's the matter…oh wait, is this…Isabella Marie Swan, don't you dare tell me you are not going to accept this boys time because of your stubborn pride."

Ugh, I hated when Alice guessed correctly.

"It is!! Bella are you shitting me right now! Knowing how stupid most people are at that high school, they probably aren't taking advantage of this opportunity to get tutoring. Sure it's with _Edward_ but who gives a flying fuck? You, Bella Swan, are not a stupid person, so I am disappointed to hear that you are going to let yourself keep failing this class because of that damn pride of yours!" Alice huffed once she was done with her little rant, while I just sat on my bed with my jaw dangling down to the floor.

"Hello? Earth to Bella?"

I blinked a few times before I regained the strength in my jaw. "You're right Alice."

"Of course I am right. I'm Alice Brandon for Christ's sake."

I laughed at her egotistical comment and moved toward my book bag to take out the note Mr. Rodriguez had given me. "Thanks for the reality check Alice. I'm going to call right now."

"Good girl! I'm proud of you. Take those damn reigns!"

I laughed one more time, before I hung up the phone. As soon as I did, I remembered that Alice forgot to tell me her important news, which I was assuming had to do with a boy. _I'll call her later._

I raised my phone so that the light was shining brightly in my face. _You can do this Bella. It's not like he is one of those really weird nerds who spew snot everywhere, and wear suspenders. _

Before I could change my mind, I quickly dialed the number on the paper and put the phone up to my ear. The line rang about five times before I heard someone pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Edward? This is Bella."

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**Okay I am not normally a fan of the cliff hanger, but I just couldn't resist *snickers.* Next chapter is Edward's so look forward to that. Chapter 3 is in the works, still working out some grammer and adding some stuff, so expect that in the coming days. Alright, rest well wherever you are and tune in for the next chapter! **

**Lots of love, **

**Olivia**


	3. Chapter 3

**To forewarn you, this chapter ends at the same spot as the last chapter did. *Cringes into a far corner.* Don't hurt me! This is the same day as Bella's in the last two chapters, so I ended it at the same place hers ended. It seemed logical to me! **

**Disclaimer: Steph Meyer owns Twilight, I don't . Nuff' said.**

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Chapter 3

EPOV

_Shit…not again. _I internally groaned at the sight in front of me. How long had it been there? Two maybe three hours? And most importantly, how many people had already seen it? My head hung low as I made my way to my locker that had the words "Edward 'the nerd, the dick' Cullen" written in permanent black marker. _Huh, that looks like Newton's writing. _As the teachers aid for the senior English class, I was fairly familiar with every single Senior students handwriting. Mike's was very neat, but had a boyish style to it. _Yup, definitely Mike's handwriting_, I thought to myself as I opened my locker door. From behind me I could hear girlish giggles and whispers. I could hear my name in their conversation and I desperately tried to ignore them.

When I closed my locker door and saw the words gleaming back at me, I remembered that I had come prepared for this moment. I set my book bag down, unzipped it, and took out a tube of SPF 100 sun block, and some napkins from the town's diner. I squeezed a bit of the sun block out onto the napkins and began to scrub the marker off my locker door. Not many people knew that sun block got out even the nastiest of all permanent ink. When I was done, I smiled at my now clean, but scented locker. As Forks town nerd, I was entitled to know the tricks of the 'How To Avoid Embarrassment' trade. So far, it had worked smoothly, but Mike Newton and his legion of dick wad followers still got a kick out of tripping me in the halls, making the day of every single individual who watched. I smiled at myself just thinking about what they would say if I ever tried to fight back. I'm pretty sure all of them thought I was a lanky pathetic retard who didn't know how to defend myself, but in reality, I could kick their asses to Russia and back in 2.5 seconds tops. That was the beauty of having a professional boxer for an older brother. Of course nobody knew that Emmett 'The Rock' McCarty was my older adoptive brother, but I wanted to keep things that way just in case I ever needed a backup plan.

I sighed as I put my tools away into my book bag and slung it over my shoulder. The warning bell signaled for everyone to be in their first period class and I had to walk all the way up the stairs to British Literature. My teacher, Rosalie Hale, was an amazing English teacher. She had just the right amount of authority mixed with just the right amount of awesomeness. She also had just the right amount of sex appeal for the guys and lesbians at school. There was no doubting that Rosalie was a goddess and that every male who left her classroom had to deviate to the bathrooms to take care of business. Thankfully for me though, I was not affected by Rosalie's amazing figure and blonde hair. I only had eyes for one girl at this school and I could see her walking up to me now.

"Edward!"

I smiled as I opened my arms toward the beautiful angel standing in front of me. "Tanya."

"How are you this morning," Tanya gave me a kiss on the cheek and wrapped her arms around my waist giving me one of her huge bear hugs.

Tanya and I grew up together just like everyone else at this school had. Only, she was the one person who took me for who I was and liked what she saw. As we grew up, she became more beautiful and more angelic. When we became freshmen's in high school, I finally got up the nerves to ask her out and to my surprise she accepted wholeheartedly. After a couple months of dating, we both finally realized that we were better friends and we went back to being our old selves. But that never stopped me from thinking that she was the only genuine and beautiful person on this planet. She would always laugh when I told her this , saying, "My God Edward, people are going to think I am a Saint with the way you talk about me."

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked you how your morning was and I can see you are zoning out."

"Oh sorry Tanya. Umm…I kind of had a run in with one of Mike's idiotic pranks again, but I took care of it."

"What did the prick do this time?"

"Inappropriate phrase on my locker again."

"Did you bring the sun block?"

I nodded and smiled down at my best friend. Tanya was the one who taught me the sun block bit in sophomore year when Tyler Crawley tried to pull the same trick on me that Mike had this morning.

I heard Tanya sigh as she linked her arm with mine and started walking. "Those boys make me so angry I want to kick them where the sun doesn't shine."

I snorted at Tanya's violent response. "If anyone can do it effectively, it would be you."

She smirked up at me and I grinned back. Tanya was an amazing ballet dancer with an expert high kick that would make anyone wonder how her legs didn't just snap off.

We had finally made it to the English class and when I walked in, I almost burst into hysterics at the scene playing out in front of me. Mike Newton was sitting on Rosalie's desk while she wrote something on the white board. Mike was making inappropriate gestures with his hands and I could very well try and get Rose's attention so she could turn and catch him in the act. Luckily for me though, she was already in the process of turning and catching Mike on her own accord. Rosalie's mouth turned into a thin line, while Mike's face palled. I swear I could see the blood drain from his stupid little face as Rosalie pointed toward the door and said something about the office. Mike jumped off her desk with quick precision, grabbed his back pack, and headed toward the door where I was standing right in front of. When he caught me standing there, he stopped for a minute and whispered, "Hey dick, like my message I sent you?"

I could feel Tanya shuffle from one leg to the other as if she was warming up for the kick.

I looked Mike straight in the eye and shrugged my shoulders. "What message?"

Mike smirked and deliberately pushed past me as he walked to the office.

"How can you take his shit Edward? I know you want to pummel him just as much as I do."

"It's the principle of it Tanya. I also like getting a rise out of him by showing that I don't care what he does. It's not going to consume me like it does his other victims.

Tanya shook her head in disbelief. "You're a saint Edward Cullen."

I shot her a smile as I walked over to Rosalie who had commenced writing on the board. "Hey Rose. What's on the agenda for today?"

Rosalie turned to look at me and I could tell she was still angry over the Mike thing that just happened. "For the hundredth time Edward, it's Miss Hale, not Rose."

"Sorry _Miss _Hale, but it's kind of hard remembering that, since you're always over at the house with Emmett. I get used to his googley way of saying, "Rose is the prettiest piece of ass walking this planet."

Rosalie slapped me upside the head and shushed me even though the only people in here were Tanya and me. "Watch your mouth Cullen, or I will send you to the office and have you sit with Mike.

I rolled my eyes at her sad threat. "Tanya knows your engaged to my brother Rose, don't feel embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed Edward. You're my student and you saying stuff like that is inappropriate."

"_I _never commented on your behind, Emmett did."

At the mention of Emmett's name, all was forgotten. Rosalie smiled widely and sighed her girlish sigh. "How is Emmett?"

"The man is in desperate need of some love. He has a match tonight and he is starting to annoy everybody at the house over how he is missing you. He keeps calling and calling and normally Esme would like that, but now she is wondering if she should disown the man."

Rosalie gave me that sad smile of hers as she resumed writing on the board. "Yeah, I miss him too. That Vegas tournament is the last obstacle before we can get married. After that, he will be done and we can resume our lives again."

"Until the next tournament of course."

"Well by then he will be taking me with him."

"Forks High School is going to lose one of its finest teachers once my brother whisks you away."

"Shut up Cullen and get to work. I need one hundred copies of the handout sitting on my desk."

I saluted my future sister-in-law and grabbed the papers on her desk and as I was walking out the door, I caught sight of Bella Swan, my lifelong neighbor, and my lifelong gut hater. I don't know what I did to her for her to treat me with such coldness. Actually, I don't know what I did to anyone here at this school, but it was to my knowledge that I only had one semester left of high school to go and that soon I would be at Julliard with a full ride scholarship thanks to my piano playing. I guess there was one thing that I could say I did right in high school.

I gave Bella a small smile as I walked out, but I didn't wait long enough to see her reaction. It was probably a scowl anyway, though, come to think of it, I never actually saw Bella scowl in my direction. All she really did was ignore me like the plague and hang out with her friends. Just as long as she didn't treat me like her friend Mike, I was fine.

The rest of the day went smoothly. There were no more instances with Mike and his pack of drones, but there was something bothering me about Tanya. She was acting pretty distant lately, which was starting to freak me out. At lunch, we sat at our usual table, but this time the atmosphere around us was covered in silence and it was starting to bug me as to why. She was after all my best friend, and even though she was a girl, I was 100% certain she told me everything.

Tanya was picking at her macaroni and cheese as I intently watched her. Finally, I had had enough. "Alright Tan, what is on your mind?"

Tanya's strawberry blonde hair swayed around her heart shaped face as she looked up at me. "What makes you think there's something on my mind?"

I gave her my warmest smile because I could see she was getting uncomfortable. "Well for starters, you pick at your food when you are nervous. And you also scratch at your neck like you're doing now, because being uncomfortable makes you fidget."

Tanya smiled up at me and ceased her scratching. "You know me too well Cullen."

"Which is why I am puzzled with what you're not telling me. Come on Tan, it can't be that bad."

"That depends."

"On what?"

"How you feel about me?"

I gave Tanya a confused look. When we dated for those few months, I was being honest about my feelings for her. I liked her. But as we grew closer, we both realized that being friends was what made us work. We didn't need that intimate relationship to be closer. We just were. And yeah, I had to admit, it was awkward kissing the one girl who had witnessed my "Captain Underwear " phase when all I wore around the house was my underwear and a cape. Could you blame me? I was six years old. Maturity wasn't my strongest point.

I came back to the present and looked at Tanya's worried expression. "Tanya, we are friends. We both know that…I mean, if you want to try dating again we can, but I don't really think---"

"Oh God Edward no! Being friends with you is exactly what I want. I just wasn't sure it was what you still wanted, which is why it was so hard for me to tell you what happened."

"Well go ahead. What's been bugging you? I'm all ears here."

Tanya pushed her hair away from her face and let out a heavy breath.

"Getting old here Tanya."

"I met someone," she blurted out.

"And?"

"And? That's all you have to say?"

I shrugged my shoulders and shuffled my feet. "Well clearly I want you to continue. What's his name?"

"Laurent."

"French?"

"His parents are. He's going to Seattle University and I met him two weeks ago when I was up there checking out the University campus."

I searched my best friends eyes again and saw that flicker of happiness pass through her irises. "Tanya, that is amazing. I'm happy for you."

"You are?"

At this I let out a bitter sigh. "Why do you have it in your head that I will be so adamant at being opposed to this? Tanya, we mutually decided to be friends because it's what _both _of us wanted. You don't have to be afraid of telling me about Laurent. Unless he does something to hurt you. In that case I will unleash the beast that is Emmett on him."

Tanya laughed at me. The first time she came to my house and Emmett had experienced his growth spurt, she almost flew out the door panicking that there was some huge man in the house and that he might be committing a robbery. When she found out it was Emmett, she was so embarrassed to even come back to my house for weeks.

"So you're not mad?"

"Not even a little Tanya. Although I would like to meet him."

Tanya shook her head violently. "No way Edward. Not yet at least. Give me more time with him before you go all 'Brotherly Cullen' on the poor guy."

I rolled my eyes at her and we went back to eating our food. This time though, we had cleared the air and we were back to our normal selves.

That was until I heard the faint whooshing noise of something flying in the air. And being the oblivious idiot I was, I should've guessed that it was headed in my direction. As I raised my head to figure out what was going on, I suddenly felt the cold slime that was macaroni and cheese hit me in the face and ooze its way down my newly bought glasses. _Perfect. _

I heard Tanya frantically jump out of her chair in order to get what I assumed to be napkins. I took off my glasses , thanking the gods that my eyes were shielded from the pelted macaroni. I was pretty sure I could hear the barking laughter of the jock table just a few feet away from me. Leave it to Mike, the quarterback of Forks High School, to have perfect aim. He sucked at English, but damn did he have good aim. If I wasn't so pissed off, I would have applauded the boy for doing something right for once.

"Edward? Hey are you ok? Shit your glasses," I could hear Tanya say as she tried to help clean up my face.

I tried to stay calm as I heard snarky comments like, "Homo," "Fag," and "Dick" being flung my way.

"Now can I kick their asses?"

I laughed bitterly at Tanya , who was now pushing thousands of napkins into my hands. "No Tan, I can handle it."

"That's the thing Edward. You never handle it! You're always so passive and to be honest it is driving me nuts."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just do something about it."

I sighed as I watched Tanya clean my glasses thoroughly. And right then, I could feel that twinge in my stomach. That twinge that always signaled it was time to call it a day.

***

I got home after dropping Tanya off at her house and as I pulled into the spacious garage, I tried to figure out what I was going to say to Esme, my mom, about my glasses. Apparently the stuff in macaroni wasn't good for my specially crafted lenses, and my new glasses were ruined thanks to Mike Fucking Newton's impeccable throw. I now realized why Forks High School's football team was so good. _Damn that bastard. _

I stepped out of my Volvo and trudged toward the door that would lead me into the hallway of my house . As I opened the door, I felt the waft of tasty goodness fall over me. Esme was cooking what I believed to be chicken, rice, and beans. _Thank God for the Hispanic culture. We would be sorely lost without their food. _

"Edward? Is that you darling?"

"Yeah mom it's me."

I walked into my mother's enormous kitchen and planted myself onto one of the stools surrounding the island. "Smells good."

"Thank you Edward. How was school today?"

My mother was a very special woman. With her long brownish reddish wavy hair, her slim figure, and childish eyes, it was hard to even believe she was a mother. Sometimes I would have to restrain myself from pummeling down the men who hit on her on a daily basis. But when Emmett was home, men usually tended to stay an arm swinging length away.

"Sweetheart is something on your mind?"

I looked up at my mom and waited for her to recognize the difference in my face.

She finally got it. "Edward, where are your new glasses?"

"Tarnished."

"Mike?"

"Yeah."

My mother began to mumble under her breath as she mashed the beans in the pot. "Stupid, insensitive boy…can't find anyone else to pick on…has to go and make my son's life a living hell…"

I began to chuckle at my mother's way of letting out her anger. "Mom, you're going to kill the beans with the way you keep smashing them."

"I just don't understand why those people at your school have to be so mean."

"Three words Mom: It's high school."

"Still!"

I walked up to my mother and put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax mom, it's nothing I can't handle. Trust me alright? And besides, I made sure to keep my old glasses in my book bag this time, so don't worry about getting new ones."

My mother planted a light kiss on my forehead and took my hand in hers. "I'm getting you contacts. It's all the rage with you young kids."

"I don't need contacts."

"You're getting contacts Edward Anthony Cullen and that's final. Don't you dare fight me on this."

I put my hands up in surrender, walked backwards to where my book bag was, took out my old glasses, and walked out the door. As I was making my way up the stairs, I heard my mom call up to me. "Take out the trash Edward. It's not going to move itself!"

I groaned as I set my bag down of the staircase and made my way back down the long flight of stairs to the kitchen where my mother was still working. "You didn't think of telling me when I was actually in the kitchen Mom?"

"I shouldn't have to remind you Edward. You always take out the trash and it's not changing. Go." Esme was in the process of putting seasoning on the chicken and my mouth watered at the beautiful smell.

I grabbed the trash bag sitting outside on the porch and threw it into the trashcan that was waiting in the drive way. From the corner of my eye, I could see movement from across the street at the Swan house. Yes, Bella and I never talked, but we were both given the opportunity since she and I had been neighbors for the past eighteen years. We had every single class together since we were in kindergarten and I even remembered the time she broke my glasses because she asked if I liked her and I refused to answer. I smiled at the memory, thanking God that she broke them because I hated those huge glasses that took up the entire frame of my face.

I walked back inside and decided to go up to my room in order to catch up on some homework . When I got in, I immediately took out my cell phone to see if I had gotten any calls about the Tutoring session I was conducting at the public library not too far from school. I wasn't too surprised to see that no one had called, considering that the only people who wanted to be seen with me were my family and Tanya. Everyone else seemed to think I was about to explode into nerdtastic bombs of intellectual superiority. I shrugged my shoulders and tossed my phone on the bed and went to the shelf where all my CD's and records were. I took out my Paolo Nutini CD and stuck it into my massive stereo and skipped to my favorite song, "Jenny Don't Be Hasty." I smiled as I sat down at my desk and listened to the guy sing about being 18 and seducing a twenty something year old woman. _If only I had such talent_, I thought as I wrote out an essay for Rosalie's class.

The minutes passed as I put my finishing touches on my third paragraph, when out of nowhere I heard my phone ring. I jumped at the foreign ringtone playing from somewhere in my room. I rummaged through all the clothes and papers on the floor. Finally remembering that I left my phone on my bed, I made a jump for it and landed in the middle of the mattress. _Safe. _

I looked at my phone and didn't recognize the number, but decided to take the call anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hi Edward? It's Bella."

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**Okay so I am pretty sure the axes and pitchforks are being aimed at my cyber end of the spectrum, because of Tanya and the ending. I know Tanya isn't the favorite of all the Twilight characters, but give this Tanya a chance. She is super sweet. And yes, I also know she wasn't with Laurent in Twilight, I just needed to find a character for her to be with, and seeing as Irina won't be in this story, I took her man and gave him to Tanya. Alright, chapter four is being written, so hopefully you're not too mad to continue this story! Edward, I know, is very passive, but you just wait and see what happens next...oooh i have lots of things in store for our lovely Edward ;) Lots of love, Olivia**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello hello hello! I am pleasently surprised that I got this chapter done! YAY! That means more for you. Enjoy a bit more of Edward goodness and I will meet up with you down below.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie "The Great" Meyer owns Twilight. I'm pretty sure that goes without saying, so I will shut up now :)**

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Chapter 4

Silence. Pure and absolute silence. Was I being punk'd or something, because I was pretty sure the last time Bella Swan graced me with her time was in freshman year, when she was forced to debate with me about abortion. And even then, she never actually addressed me. _Cullen focus. What is going on. Did Mike put her up to this? Is she secretly recording this in order to hand it off to all her jerk friends? What. The. Fuck. _

"Um hello?"

I shook my head out of the daze I was in and listened to the girl on the other line. "Yeah hi sorry."

"Hi."

Again with the silence. Why was it so hard to act like two normal human beings? Was I that hard to get along with?

"Uh did you need something Bella, or am I wasting minutes just listening to nothing in particular?" Alright, maybe not the smoothest way to start off this conversation, but I was filled up to the brim with the Forks High elite.

"You know what, I think this was a bad idea," Bella said, as I heard her shuffle some papers on the other line.

"No wait, I'm sorry for my rudeness. What is it that you need?" _Nice Edward. Way to cave. Couldn't keep it up for a few more seconds could you?_

I heard Bella let out a breath. "I can't believe I am actually doing this."

It sounded like those words weren't meant for me, but I answered anyways. "Doing what?"

"Asking for your help in Spanish."

My eyes popped at what Bella was suggesting. Was she really asking for _my _tutoring help? The leader of all the people I loathed at Forks High School was seriously on the other line asking for help. _I believe I just experienced a shift in the cosmic universe._

This was amazingly comical. So I started to laugh. Not the best idea of course, but I couldn't stop the immense hysterics culminating in the back of my throat. I couldn't believe it. Picturing Bella and I in the same vicinity by choice had me in tears.

From the other side of this conversation, I could hear Bella let out a heavy sigh. "Do you think this is easy for me? As much as it pains me to say it, I need your help."

_Wow, another shift._

"Why," I finally asked. Jerk move, but I wanted to hear it again.

"Why what?"

"You heard me. Why do you need my help?"

"Because I am failing Spanish! I thought I already told you this! You know what Cullen, I was right. This _is _a bad idea."

With laughter still in my voice I tried to stop her. "Bella I'm sorry. But you have to admit, you've never once talked to me on your own accord, so you should be able to see why I am so stunned." At the end of my little speech, I could finally feel myself getting control of my laughter. I could now try to be serious with the one girl I couldn't stand taking seriously.

"Listen Cullen. You offered your time to anyone who needed it. That includes me. I am just taking you up on your offer. Unless…you can't."

I could feel a crease embed itself in my brow with the way she said 'can't.' _Stupid girl is baiting me_. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know very well what I mean." Even from here, I could sense a smirk on her face.

"You think I can't do it?"

"I don't know, can you?"

_Damn, she knew how to play this game well, _I thought, because I had had it. I didn't care if I had to hammer every last Spanish conjugation into that thick head of hers. She was going to get Spanish by the time I was done with her.

"How does your schedule look Bella?"

"I work Tuesdays and Thursdays at the diner. Every other day is free, except for Saturdays."

"Why, too busy partying it up with all your friends?"

I heard Bella give a sarcastic laugh. "I don't need to justify my actions to you Cullen. Why don't we meet on Fridays. That way I will have a compilation of all my work from the week."

I took out my calendar and checked this Friday. _Of course. Free._

"That sounds just peachy," I said cynically.

"Well I'm glad," Bella replied, mimicking my voice. "What time?"

"How about right after school?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

I hung up at the same time she did, slightly frustrated than I was before.

I rubbed my face with my hands, wondering what I had just gotten myself into. It's true that my tutoring session was for everyone, but I thought I would get people who were faintly interested in passing their class. To me, it seemed like Bella was the kind of girl who didn't give a shit what happened, just as long as she looked good doing it. I shook my head back and forth, causing all my crazy hair to fly.

_Look at the bright side Edward…shit…_

There was no bright side.

***

Esme's cooking was, needless to say, amazing. My father, Carlisle, wasn't home from the hospital yet, so I took the chance to eat as much chicken as I could.

"Edward if you take another step into that kitchen, I will have to forcefully pull you out."

I walked backwards into the dining room with an unsatisfied and empty plate in my hand. "Seriously?"

My mother looked up at me from her food and pointed at my chair. "Yes seriously, young man. Sit."

I smirked at my mother's attempts to be stringent with me, but obeyed her wishes anyway. "How long is Dad staying at the hospital tonight?"

My father was an emergency doctor at Forks Hospital, and even though I loved him a lot, I sometimes wished he would spend more time with us. Then again, without him, who knows what kind of havoc would ensue at that hospital.

"He'll be home before nine. Now tell me, how goes the tutoring?"

"I don't think 'goes' is the right word."

I heard Esme's fork hit the plate. "Nobody has told you they want tutoring yet?"

"No, that's not it. Someone called today, but I don't know if that's really going to work out."

"Why's that?"

"She doesn't seem like the kind of person who will see the whole thing through."

My mom fixed me with that stare of hers. The one that always said she was trying to figure something out. "That's not fair Edward. It's like all those bullies at school making untrue assumptions about you."

I laughed. "That's different. I know what they are like mom. They show me what kind of jackasses they are everyday."

"Language Edward."

"Sorry." One of the reasons why my mother was amazing was because of her patience. She never yelled at me for my fowl language, she only reminded me that it bugged her in that calm demeanor of hers. She was perfect.

"So who is your new student?"

"Um Bella Swan," I mumbled, hoping that my mother couldn't really hear me.

"Bella, the neighbor, Bella?"

"Yeah."

"Edward that's wonderful!"

I groaned into my drink as I took a sip.

"Edward I remember when you were very little, you had this cute little crush on her and you would always go over to the Swan house to help her mother. It was the sweetest thing."

"Not one of my shining moments I believe."

Esme began to pout at me.

"Don't look at me like that Mom! Yes, as much as I hate to admit, I remember liking her, but people grow up, and it's not always pretty what they grow up into."

Esme gave me that confused look of hers that always made her look like a sad child. "What do you mean Edward?"

I looked down at my empty plate and desperately wished I was in the kitchen stuffing myself with anything, instead of the words building up in my mouth. "Mom, just drop the Bella talk. She's not the girl you think she is."

My mother cocked an eyebrow up, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms. "Really? How so?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. How was Bella different? It's true that she hung out with all the people I despised, but that didn't necessarily mean she was a bad person. Was I just making her guilty by association? _Huh that's weird…_

"Hmm, I think you should give her a chance Edward. You might like what you see."

My head jerked up as I surveyed my mother. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." With that, my mother went back to eating, while I sat in the chair contemplating her words.

***

"How did you beat me again?"

"I'm a fast learner," Tanya said as she took the guitar strap off from her shoulder.

It was Sunday night and Tanya had come over to do some homework with me. As we settled into my room, I got distracted with the Guitar Hero lying on top of my Wii, so I begged Tanya to play with me for a little while. She had only found out about Guitar Hero a month ago, so I taught her how to play and now my student was surpassing my amazing Expert skills.

"Tanya, you are only a month in and you're already whipping my ass."

"There's an image," she said as she sat on my bed with an open book in her lap.

"Come on Edward. We need to get started on our Government homework or else we are going to be royally screwed."

I still stood in front of my enormous TV with my guitar slung over my shoulder. "No way. My ego has been severely shot! Months of rigid training and I get beat down by you!"

I was pointing at my best friend who was staring at her open government book and intently ignoring me. "Tanya, I'm serious. How the fuck did you get to Expert in only one month?"

Tanya gave a mischievous grin and continued with her silence.

"You're not going to tell me?"

Tanya slammed her book closed and fixed me with an annoyed glare. "Oh. My. God. Edward enough! I am not telling you how I got so good at the game so drop it."

She wasn't angry with me from what I could tell. She was actually trying to hide a laugh behind that thin line that was her mouth.

I smiled at her and walked over to the edge of the bed. "Tanya…tell me tell me tell me!"

I could see her trying to suppress another laugh. "What, are you five?"

"Yes."

She burst into laughter and threw her textbook at my head. I ducked just in time and proceeded to jump on the bed and land right next to Tanya's feet. "Fine don't tell me. But I will figure this out."

"Good luck trying," Tanya said as she walked over to grab her book.

I propped myself up on my elbows and watched her return to her spot. "Did you really throw that at me? Do you want to kill your best friend?"

"Sometimes I find myself thinking it's not such a bad idea."

"Liar."

"Maybe."

I smiled up at Tanya and just watched her write about the checks and balance system in the US Government. Tanya always had this way of making me feel comfortable. It was never awkward when I was with her, even in the silence that we were in now. She had this face of innocence mixed with mischief. It was the thing that always drew me to her. As I was staring up at her face, a hint of sadness washed over me. Only a few months ago I couldn't even touch her for fear that she might burst into tears.

I fidgeted with my fingers as I began to ask Tanya something. "So…Tanya…how goes the umm…you know."

Tanya gave me a small smile while she kept writing. "The word 'therapy' isn't a taboo with me Edward. You can say it out loud."

"I just want to be careful is all."

Tanya stopped her writing and looked from her book into my eyes. She cocked her head to the side as she read my face. What she saw must've encouraged her to continue. "Edward, I wouldn't say I am fine. But I am doing better. Sure, I have mild episodes every now and then, but look at how far I've come. I can finally date without wanting to hyperventilate every time I am with a guy. Four months ago, I was even running from you, remember?"

I nodded my head and shifted my body toward her. "I was so angry with myself that day I snuck up behind you in the lunch line to surprise you. How the fuck could I have forgotten about the shitty things _he _had done to you?"

Tanya started to ruffle my hair with her fingers. "That was a long time ago. _He's _gone now and I can finally move on with my life."

After a few minutes, she began to smile and laugh to herself at something humorous.

"What?"

Tanya's smile grew wider as she looked at me again. "Nothing, it's just that's how Laurent and I met. I was standing in line to get coffee at this coffee cart and he accidently bumped into me and it triggered a memory. It wasn't as bad as the ones in the beginning, but I still began to shake and my tear ducts were beginning to fill. Laurent saw that there was something off and he led me to a bench nearby so I could calm down."

"Did you tell him what happened," I asked, because the more this Laurent guy knew about what happened to Tanya, the more likely he would be tolerant about not getting too close to my best friend.

"Just the gist. That I had met a guy and he did some things that traumatized me for a while, but that I was progressively getting over it."

"And what did he say?"

"The usual I'm sorry to hear that, and that he wished I'd get better soon…oh and then he asked me out."

I laughed at her ending and took her hand in mine. "I'm glad you are being honest with this guy. He seems to really like you."

"I like him too, but I am being careful this time around. I was an idiot the last time I tried to do this relationship thing. Biggest mistake of my life."

I shrugged my shoulders and sat up to be level with Tanya. "Sometimes you have to make those mistakes to get to that light at the end of the tunnel. I just wish it didn't have to happen that way for you."

Tanya nodded her head and went back to writing out her homework. From under her breath I could slightly hear her say, "Me too."

We stayed quiet for another hour as we worked intently on Government and Anatomy homework, and all the while, my head was swimming with the things that Tanya, my beautiful best friend, went through her Junior year of High School. Whenever I thought of the son of a bitch who had broken her, I wanted to go back to the day where I beat _his _head into the ground. It was insane to know how badly I had messed up _his _face that night, that I almost laughed in front of Tanya who already thought I was crazy.

"Anybody ask for tutoring yet?"

I was pulled out of my memories by Tanya's innocent question. I knew she didn't mean anything by it, but whenever someone mentioned the tutoring, my mind went to Bella, and I definitely didn't want to go there.

"Umm one person did."

"'Who?"

"Bella Swan," I said with a bit of edge in my voice.

"Oh, she seems really sweet," Tanya replied in a nonchalant manner.

My head shot up to see if Tanya was being sarcastic with me. Her eyes gave me a quizzical look and from that, I knew she was being serious.

"Bella is _not_ sweet."

"What are you talking about? You don't even know her."

I made a sound that went along the lines of 'hugumph' and stared at Tanya with an astonished look. "I know people like her."

"Edward, even though Bella hangs out with those jerks like Mike, Tyler, Jessica, and Lauren, doesn't mean she is like them. Just give her a chance."

I smirked and looked down at my papers spread out on the bed. "That's what my mom said."

"Well I'm not surprised. Your mother is a wise woman."

Tanya gave me her biggest smile and waited until I smiled back. I took her hand again and began to play with her fingers as we went back to work.

As I sat their holding my best friends hand, I wondered what it was she and my mother saw in Bella. There was no doubt in my mind that Bella was a beautiful girl and that every guy wanted to be with her. But when it came to judging whether or not Bella was a nice person, I thought Tanya would be on my side.

Apparently I was completely wrong.

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**I know, I know, I am horrible for ending this chapter without explaining what happened to Tanya. But don't you worry readers, it is all a part of the plot. I once heard pacience is a virtue...load of rubbish, but keep thinking that and the moment I reveal Tanya's secret, you will be super happy you waited ;) Ooooh I am so excited for the next chapter...we are entering Tutoring Land next, and the lovely Edward has got some lovely (okay, maybe lovely isn't the word) surprises in store for him. Poor dude, can't cut him a break even if I wanted to. **

**Alright, let me know how you liked the chapter and I will see you soon. Chapter 5 in the making as I type this to you**

**Lots of Love, **

**Olivia :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Short chapter today. I will explain down below! Enjoy :) Oh and notice the POV switch in this chapter too thanks!**

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Chapter 5

BPOV

I woke up Monday morning to the sun pouring through my window. As I stretched, I automatically shifted my body toward the sun drenched part of my sheets. I loved the sun. Even though the only place I lived in was Forks, I always got a thrill when there was a sunny day in my town. I shot up out of bed and looked for my faded ripped jeans in my drawer and retired the long sleeved shirt I was wearing for a blue short sleeved v-neck. As I walked down the stairs with my book bag slung over my shoulders, I could hear the squeaking of my white converse all-stars. I smiled down at my old withered shoes that had been with me through thick and thin. I was surprised I could still see a faint glimmer of white staring back at me. It probably wasn't the best idea to stare at the ground when I walked, because as I made it to the last step, I ran straight into my dad who wasn't looking where he was going either.

I keeled over slightly, but thankfully my dad grabbed me by the arm and set me right side up.

"Woah Bells, careful now. Don't want you face planting on moms newly vacuumed floor," Charlie said as he gave me his crinkly smile that I had always loved.

"Thanks Pops. Where's mom?" I looked around the place and tried to locate my mother's ever vivid nature, but I could neither see her or hear her.

I looked over to my dad who was now staring mindlessly at the newspaper in his hand, trying very hard not to make eye contact with me. "Umm she left early. Work called."

Trying not to make a big deal out of Charlie's reaction, I just shrugged my shoulders and replied with an, "Oh."

Charlie nodded and began to fidget with the paper again.

"Alright well, I have to head off to school. Shouldn't you be getting ready for work or something?"

"No. I decided to take the day off. Someone's covering for me."

I made a pretend shocked face and put a hand over my mouth. "Father, are you daft? The people of Forks need you! What will happen if you're not there?!"

My father smiled at my dramatics. "Ha-ha-ha Bells. Hurry it up. You're going to be late."

"Yeah yeah yeah," I said as a I stuck a Poptart packet in my bag and filled my thermos up to the brim with coffee.

"Okay, see you for dinner Dad?"

When I was met with silence, I turned to look at my father leaning against the door frame. He was in that same position of head down, no eye contact. It was really starting to annoy me.

"Pops?"

"I'm going to be spending all day with Billy. So don't expect me for dinner."

The harshness in his voice made me reel back in shock and as I stumbled out the door, I almost spilled coffee all over my white shoes. What was going on with him? And where was my mom? I wasn't that naïve to know that they were already having problems, but my mother---ever since I started school---was always there in the mornings to kiss me goodbye and watch me leave. Dad was never home, and I had gotten used to the routine we had been accustomed to for the past 18 years of my life.

I shook my head back and forth, trying to get a grip on my new reality as I stepped into my truck and stuck the key into the ignition. My car began to make noises like it was turning over. I sighed and tried to start the car a second time. Again it gave me that pathetic whimpering noise. I gave up and leaned back in my seat, raking my fingers in my long, curly brown hair. _Today was supposed to be a good day. _

I grabbed my bag again and walked into the house. My dad was sitting in the reclining chair, reading the sports section, so I tried to be polite as I told him what happened. "Hey…dad?"

Charlie looked up at me with a puzzled look in his eyes. "What's up Bells?"

"My car won't start, but I am already running late. So do you think…"

Charlie slowly made his way out of his chair and folded the paper. "Let me get my keys."

Riding in the cruiser was the most humiliating thing on the planet. I looked fairly awkward sitting in the back seat, because Charlie still thought I was two and insisted it was safer to sit there. I didn't argue with him, knowing he was just trying to be a good dad, so I silently entered the cruiser. We drove in silence as I watched the forest pass me by. It was always a beautiful sight to see the sun peeking through the trees as you drove. It was like a thousand camera flashes were going off, but it didn't hurt your eyes to watch. I snuggled into the back seat and closed my eyes, giving myself to the thoughts in my head. I tried to think about happy things as my father drove at just the right speed limit. There were thoughts of Alice who I forgot to call after my talk with Edward. _I'll make sure to call her after school._ There were thoughts of Angela and how psyched she was on Sunday that Ben gave her a promise ring on their date Friday night. Sure they were just love struck teenagers, but if there was any couple that could make it, it was Ben and Angela. And then there was…

"Hey Bella, we're here."

I opened my eyes to see my father staring at me from the driver's seat. Outside I could see Forks High standing in front of me and I kind of slumped lower in my seat, knowing that it was just the beginning of the week.

I turned back to my dad who was still staring and I smiled at him. "Thanks dad."

As I began to walk out of the car, I heard my dad role down the passenger window. "Hey Bells, do you need a ride home?"

I turned to see my father's face. I could tell he didn't want to change his plans with his buddy Billy today. "No it's fine. I can get a ride from a friend. You go and enjoy your day off."

I saw the flood of relief in my dad's features as he drove off. I turned around quickly in order to get to my locker in time, but as I did, I accidently ran into muscle and chest and almost fell backwards. A strong, tan arm grabbed me by the waist and pulled me forward so I wouldn't fall. Today just wasn't my day to stay on two feet.

From a few feet above, I heard a low and dare I say sexy voice speak. "Hey Bella-Bee. I didn't know you ran with the criminals."

I smiled at my little nickname and proceeded to stare up into the dangerously handsome eyes of Jacob Black, the son of Billy Black, my dad's best friend. I've known Jacob since birth and until Junior year, we had gone to school together. After Junior year ended, he and his dad moved up to the reservation at La Push. Jake never told me why he moved, but all I remembered was that he must've gotten into heaps of trouble because he left Forks with a black eye, a swollen lower lip, and a sprained wrist.

"Jake," I squealed as I pounced at him and yanked him towards me for a bear hug. He grabbed me even tighter as I snuggled into his broad chest. We had been friends for the longest time, but I never had the guts to ever tell him how much I liked him. At times I thought maybe he felt the same way, but then he would go and find himself a new plaything and I would be left in the dust. It still never stopped us from hanging out though. I'd rather be his friend than nothing at all.

"Mmm Bella-Bee I have missed you."

"I've missed you too," I mumbled into his plaid button up shirt.

He chuckled into my hair as he finally let me go and stood me up straight. "So how have you been?"

I smiled from ear to ear and could feel the blush glowing in my cheeks. Too bad I couldn't blame it on the weather this time. "I'm good. Still standing, thanks by the way.

Jacob gave me that scorching grin of his as he brushed his large hand up and down my cheek. "I know I can't always be here to make sure you're standing on two feet, but I'm glad you're doing good."

"You look better than the last time I saw you," I reached for his left eye and touched it with my index finger.

He grabbed my hand, pulled it down and looked down as if he were ashamed of something. "Uhh yeah. I was a bit of a wreck that time."

I sighed and looked down at my shoes. "You're still not going to tell me what happened are you?"

I looked up at him and saw him shaking his head back and forth.

"Fine, be secretive. I will figure it out someday."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"I'm kidding Jake, if you don't want to talk about it---"

"I have to go."

I fluttered my eyes in shock as I watched Jacob walk backwards toward his motorcycle parked illegally in the lot. "Jake?"

"I will see you later okay? Promise." With that, he hopped onto his bike and rode off at an illegal speed for a school zone.

I turned around to head inside, when I saw Edward Cullen standing a distance away, staring at the bike that had just ridden off. From here I could tell he looked angry. I had never seen Edward get angry before in my life. He was always so passive and quiet thst I thought maybe he didn't know how to feel anything negative. As I got closer, the anger became more prominent on his face. When he saw me looking, he blinked once out of his trance and walked up the stairs into the school.

_Odd. Why was he looking at Jake like that?_

***

The rest of the week was simply amazing…except for Mike, but that was inevitable. Jacob kept his promise and came by the house with his dad who was going to watch the game with Charlie. We hung out in the kitchen for the majority of the time while he watched as I made a homemade pizza for the men. My mom was in her home office all day making phone calls and planning designs for this major job she had just acquired. Jake and I sat at the kitchen table just catching up on what was going on in our lives and how we missed each other.

I was laughing super hard at one story Jake told me about his friends who would go cliff diving and how they would go out for lunch and end up wrestling each other in the parking lot.

"So who do you like the best?"

"They're all tied for least best in my book."

"Seriously Jake, there has got to be one you like the most."

"Well there is one."

"Okay who?"

"You."

My eyes slightly popped and I could feel myself blush again. "Umm that's not one of the options."

"I just made it one."

I looked down at my empty dinner plate and began to fidget with my hands, not knowing what to say.

"Hey," I heard Jake whisper.

"Hmm?"

"I have a suggestion."

"What?"

"It's two months away, but one of the guys, Sam, is being thrown a surprise party by his fiancé Emily, and I was wondering…"

My hand automatically went to my neck as I tried to calm the pulse there. "Wondering what Jake?"

"Do you want to be my date," Jake asked as he stared intently at his feet.

"Date?"

"Yes."

I tried to stop the enormous smile playing on my mouth, but I just couldn't believe it. Jake was finally asking me out! I really didn't want to act like a love struck teenager, but I couldn't help myself. This was truly a dream come true. He had gone from girl after girl and he was finally seeing the light.

"I would love to be your date Jake. That would be amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"You're not just saying that to be nice are you?"

"Jake you've known me since we were kids. When have I ever said anything to be nice. I am honest about everything."

Jake began to laugh in that barking way of his. "This is very true."

"Alright, so trust me when I say I would like to go with you," I said as I playfully pushed his arm.

"It's good to hear that Bella." Jake gave me that dangerously sexy glare again and I sighed quietly as I got up to serve us another soda.

***

EPOV

I raked my hair back for the millionth time this week. It was Thursday night and I still hadn't gotten up the guts to tell Tanya what I had seen Monday morning. I put the phone to my ear and waited impatiently as the phone rang. When she finally picked up and said hello, I held my breath and couldn't speak.

"Edward?"

"Hey Tanya."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing ."

"Don't lie to me."

I hit my forehead multiple times as I paced the floor in my room.

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"Edward, if it's important tell me." Tanya sounded insanely concerned which made me even more nervous.

"Christ…"

"Take your time."

"I saw him on Monday," I blurted.

"Saw who?"

I gave another sigh and just let it out. "I saw Jacob at school, Tanya…on Monday."

I was met with silence, and silence it remained for the next ten minutes as I waited for Tanya to speak.

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**Okay I know I promised tutoring for this chapter, but I forgot to put in the details that you just read. If you knew me, you would know that I am as Anti-Jacob as they come…that's all I am going to say about that ;) Alright, so I swear that the next chapter we are going to see some Bella and Edward interaction. I think I've prolonged it long enough right? Let's get to the good stuff!! And once again, don't let Jacob get you fooled. I will tell you now, it's not ending well for him. *rubs hands together and snickers.* **


	6. Chapter 6

Yay!!! I finally finished the chapter! So sorry it took forever to get this out, but here it is and i won't give anything away. So Enjoy chapter 6

Disclaimer: Steph Meyer owns Twilight, I don't.

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Chapter 6

BPOV

"Thanks for gracing me with your time Miss Swan. I hope your schedule wasn't too full for you to take my phone call."

I rolled my eyes at Alice's hurt tone on the other line as I flipped through a magazine at the grocery store. Even though Renee wasn't good at cooking, she had an amazing eye for prepared meals at the store. She went ballistic every time we stepped through the automatic slide doors and she stopped to look at all the food waiting to be bought and eaten. I loved watching my mom get excited over this little fettish, so I always made sure to stay clear when she was in "grocery shopping mode."

"Alice, I meant to call, but it's been a hectic week. The only reason I had time today was because I called in sick at work."

"You see? So you _did _have to squeeze me into your oh so buuuusy schedule! That hurts," Alice replied and topped it off with a little sniff.

"Or it could mean that I was thinking of you so much, that I gave up a day's pay to talk to you…and nurse my cramps. I was actually feeling sick today Al."

"Ugh, why is Aunt Flow so cruel."

"Tell me about it."

"Okay you're forgiven. Only because you don't feel good and because I love you too much! I will dismiss the fact that you haven't called me since last Friday," I heard her huff into the receiver and I couldn't stop the giggle that emanated from my mouth. She was always so petty. I guess that's what made her lovable.

"So Alice? What was the big juicy news you wanted to tell me the last time we talked?"

"Oh _now _you want to know don't you?"

I internally groaned and squeezed my eyes shut. "Alice, I thought we were going to put away the fact that it wasn't nice of me to not call. Be nice."

"Eh okay…"

"Thanks. Okay so what is the news?"

I heard Alice squeal at the top of her lungs and I thought my ear drum must've shattered into a million pieces.

"Okay okay so---"

"Wait hold on. Let me regain the function of my ear before you proceed."

"Oh sorry."

"Kidding! Go ahead."

"I met a guy!"

My eyes almost bulged out of my head. "You're kidding?"

I heard Alice laugh on the other line. "Nope. And it's not one of those high school silly relationships either. Jasper is the sweetest person on the entire planet."

I smiled at Alice's voice. She seemed to be really into this person from what I could hear. "His name is Jasper?"

"Yeah. I met him outside of the offices a couple months back. I was having coffee at this little shop and he came in looking all fine and what not. We started talking, and we just hit it off. And hey! He's a senior at NYU! I should have him talk to you about the school. I know how you want to go there next year."

This was very true. New York was mine and Alice's dream. We always talked about how she would be the leading fashionista, and I would be the featured writer in the New York Times. So far Alice's dreams were coming true, while mine seemed to be at a standstill.

"That actually sounds like a good idea. Once I get my Spanish grade up,---"

"Ugh that's right! How is the tutoring going?"

"I swallowed my pride like you said, and I am meeting with Edward tomorrow."

I heard Alice make a shivering noise. "Bleh Cullen. Always the nerdy snot nose."

"He isn't that bad…I don't think."

"Eh you're probably right. You were always the nice one in our group."

"Well when you have Mike and Tyler torturing the poor guy, you can't help but feel a little bad."

Alice made one of those unattractive noises again. "Please. I always got a kick out of it. But truth be told, if Mike and his dick cult followers are still messing with the guy then there is no hope of them ever growing up."

"Very true."

Alice and I talked a bit more about how her internship was going and how Jasper was super into literature like I was. Alice made me laugh every five seconds and every time she did, I began to miss her even more. As she kept talking on about New York and how amazing it was, I started getting a little nervous over what I wanted to tell her about Jacob. She hadn't mentioned him yet, and I was hoping that she would so that I wouldn't have to. Alice always had this not-so-good-feeling about Jake and the way he acted with girls. She knew that I had a tremendous crush on him and never really approved of it and our friendship. Sometimes Alice would have me second guess myself about Jake, but then I would get sidetracked by his smile or his warm nature. I couldn't help it. I was smitten.

"Helloooo Bella? Anybody home over there?"

I blinked multiple times before I realized that I had dozed off while Alice was talking. Wow, what a friend I was turning out to be.

"Sorry Al. I was just thinking."

"Oh? About what?"

"Nothing."

"Not nothing Bella Swan! Were you thinking about something naughty?"

I couldn't say anything. It wasn't that I was thinking naughty thoughts, but anything having to do with Jacob made me feel overly embarrassed.

"I knew it! Who is he? And why does he have you blushing scarlet like I know you are now?"

I smacked myself hard in the face and willed myself to stop being so predictable.

"Alice before I tell you anything, you must promise not to interrupt me."

"Nope can't make that promise."

"You suck."

"I know," Alice said in that light hearted way of hers.

"It's Jake. He finally asked me out."

I was met with silence.

"Alice?"

"Please tell me you turned him down."

"No I didn't."

"Bella!!"

"Alice I know he isn't on your good list, but that's only because you won't forgive him for accidentally scratching your car sophomore year!"

"Not true! I didn't like him before that and it wasn't an accident! Boy did it on purpose," Alice's volume level reached epic proportions.

I sighed into the phone and shut the magazine I was looking at. "Alice, please give him a shot. I know him better then you do."

"Really? Then do you know why he looked so fucked up the last time you and I saw him?"

"…No..."

"Exactly! I know it's wrong of me to act judgmental, but there is something off about Jacob Black, Bella, and everyone seems to recognize it except for you! There is a reason he never hung out with us at school."

"Nobody ever gave him a chance that's why," I replied in a whiny voice.

"You know what Bella? I give. Go ahead and see for yourself. Just be careful not to get hurt."

"Jake's not going to hurt me."

"If you say so."

"He won't."

But somehow, I was finding myself doubting Jake again. He was a good person, but very secretive as well. I knew he was hiding something, but what was it?

***

I slept soundly that night, dreaming about the next time I would see Jake again. After my talk with Alice, I was a bit distraught, but when I got home, my dad told me Jake had called. I called Jake back and we had a really long talk about anything and everything. He was so easy to talk to and even more easy to be around. After I hung up, I was no longer worried about what Alice had said to me. Jake was a good person, and I believed it wholeheartedly.

When I woke up, I was sourly disappointed to hear hard raindrops hitting my window. I was kind of wishing the sun would make an appearance today, but I guess you couldn't have everything. As I got up to get dressed for the cold weather day, I groaned and realized that today was tutoring with Edward. I was diligent the whole week, making sure I took notes on things I did and didn't understand and making a list of all the assignments I had failed in Mr. Rodriguez's class. Even though I recoiled from the idea of tutoring, I wasn't about to let my grades suffer because of my stupidity. I knew fairly well that I was a smart person who deserved to pass that class. I was just going to have to work at it. I grabbed my book bag hanging from my desk chair and flew out of my room and down the stair into the kitchen. My mom wasn't home again and neither was my father, so I hunted down another poptart, ate it, and then gulped down a cup of coffee.

I was out the door in minutes. Thankfully my dad, with the help of Jacob, fixed up my car in no time the day Billy and Jake came to visit. The beauty was now running smoothly. When I made it to school, I pulled into my usual parking spot and looked around to see if any of my friends had come in already. From the looks of it nobody had, so I stayed in my car, working on some last minute homework. I aimlessly tried to figure out a Calculus problem, when from the corner of my eye, I saw a hint of silver pass by. I looked up and saw a silver Volvo parking across the lot from me. I'd never seen that car before, so I was curious to see who it was. When the passenger door opened and out came Tanya Denali in a cute plaid sweater smiling like there was no tomorrow, I wondered who exactly she was car pooling with. I watched as the driver side opened. Out came forth none other than Edward Cullen. How did I not know that Volvo was his car? I knew the boy forever, and I even lived across from him. Never once had I seen that car! I was surprised at my own oblivious-ness and a bit angry as well. Weather I liked it or not, this kind of showed how wrapped up in my world I had become.

I continued to spy on Edward and Tanya. They talked a little bit by the car before Tanya took Edward's arm and pulled him playfully toward the school. Edward pushed up his glasses, and like a little boy, followed Tanya inside. As the door to the school closed behind the couple, I was pulled out of my daze, wondering why I had this sudden bitter feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's not like I thought of Edward in _that _way, but I still couldn't get that yucky feeling to go away.

"Wow, Swan. Get a grip why don't you?" I shook my head trying to rid my mind of my idiocy and opened the car door. I walked up to the school and scanned the place for Angela or someone who didn't bug the living daylights out of me.

Sadly, I ran into Mike.

"Isabella, don't you just look amazing today," I heard him whisper from behind, into my ear.

I sighed deeply and turned to face the obnoxious face of Mike Newton, knowing that my blow to the head from Friday might've caused him some brain damage.

"Well aren't you going to give me a kiss hello," Mike said as he pouted his mouth and batted his eyes.

I smirked and raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Kiss this Mike."

I stuck my middle finger in his face and watched as his expression fell to the floor in sadness. Good.

"How you wound me Swan."

"You know you deserve it," I said as I walked away and found Angela at the top of the school stairs. She was giving me a shocked look and I realized she had witnessed how harsh I had been.

"I know it's Mike, Bella, but could you have been any more mean?" Angela clutched her books to her chest and timidly looked up at me.

"I couldn't help it! He just makes me so angry."

Angela smiled at my petty behavior. "True. Do you want Ben to talk to him? I know it might not make a difference because Mike doesn't really understand the concept of listening, but you never know…miracles can happen."

I laughed and hung my head in defeat. "No. Let Mike be Mike. I'll only have to put up with him for a few more months."

"That's the spirit Bell." With that, Angela and I both walked into the school as the warning bell rung.

***

I walked out of Spanish class feeling more downtrodden than ever. I had put the tutoring in the back of my mind, knowing that I wasn't manning up and facing it for a reason. As I took out the little folder that held all my Spanish stuff, I figured out that I didn't want to be patronized and belittled just because I couldn't understand one little thing. I was good at figuring out stuff for myself. I never needed someone to point me in the right direction and shoot. Sure, teachers were there to help you learn, but it all seemed so different now that I needed even more help than the help I was already getting. It's like my brain had shrunk and I needed extra people to help me inflate it back up again, rather than just me doing it all by myself. Again, I couldn't help but feel my sense of pride weaken as I drove to the library to meet with Edward for our first tutoring session.

I pulled into the parking lot and looked up at the familiar building. Before Renee took up her own business, she would always take me to the library so I could read and and go to story time. It was the highlight of my day and when I finally learned how to read, I couldn't put the book I was reading down. I internally smiled at the fact that probably the only people who knew this about me where Angela, Alice and my parents. Most people assumed that I was most likely illiterate and that the only thing I knew how to read were the instructions on a hairspray bottle. I giggled silently as I walked out of my truck and eyed the silver Volvo in the parking spot next to me. _Geez Cullen was fast._

I walked into the familiar foyer and smiled at the middle aged librarian sitting behind her desk. She gave me a little wave as I proceeded into the area where all the desks were. A couple of people were there with books scattered all over their desk. I could almost feel the concentration radiating off of them. Maybe some of it would rub off on me. Unfortunately though, I didn't see Edward among the tables. I walked through the aisle of books and made my way to the other possible place he could be. I walked to the sides of the library and began to walk down the wall, where a couple of tables were lined. There in the corner of the American History section, was my bronze haired tutor. He was concentrating awful hard on a book that was lying lazily in his lap. His head was angled downward and I could see how he kept pushing up his glasses out of habit. He didn't notice my presence, so when I finally got about two feet away from him, I cleared my throat and waited for him to reply.

He didn't.

He kept reading, totally oblivious to the outside world. For some reason, I smiled , thinking again to the times I still did that, totally surrounded by the world of the books. I couldn't blame Edward for his being oblivious. It was a great place to be. Sadly though, I had to cut his reading time, because I seriously needed to get my tutoring time in.

"Edward," I said boldly and watched as his head shot up in surprise.

He squinted at me and then finally came to the realization of where he was and why I was approaching him.

"Hey," he said as he closed the book sharply and placed it in his book bag.

"Sorry, I totally meant to meet you out front, but…"

"You got distracted. I can tell." I gave him a small smile as I sat down across from him.

"Yeah," he said and looked down at his hands that were lying on the table.

"Understandable."

Silence permeated the atmosphere as we both realized that we had nothing else to say. So, trying to be polite, I made small talk.

"What were you reading?"

"Bella it's fine." He gave me a look of…embarrassment was it?

"What?"

"You don't have to act interested in what I like."

My eyes widened in a bit of sadness. What made him think I was pretending? It was a decent question to ask someone who you would be spending a sufficient amount of time with. He didn't have to be so…mean.

"I wasn't acting, but if you say so…" I reached down into my book bag and began to take out my Spanish book and my Spanish notes from the past few weeks.

"Les Miserables," I heard him say quietly from above.

I popped up and fixed him with an interested glare. "Really? How do you like it so far?"

"It's good. I'm not one for depressing literature, but the time period is a favorite."

"So you're not one for depressing literature, but you are one for depressing history?"

A crease formed in Edwards forehead. _Oops._ I could never really control my thoughts from forming into words.

"What do you mean," he asked as he played with his black sleeve cuffs.

"You know, The French Revolution, the Guillotine, the blood, the starvation and the death. Your saying that France in the 1800's is a favorite, yet you don't like the depressing mood of Les Mis , which was set in that 'depressive' time period of French history. It's kind of oxymoronic don't you think?"

_Filter Bella FILTER! Where is that stupid filter when you need it._ I stared at Edward and waited for a response as I scolded myself for being so bold as to try and piss the smartest guy in school off. And where the hell did this confidence in European history come from? I wasn't ashamed to admit that I didn't like to flaunt the fact that I was good at history and literature.

I held my breath as Edward stared at me. _Tick. Tock. Crap._

To my surprise, Edward began to smile what some would call a pretty damn gorgeous crooked smile. I was stunned…only slightly. And like hell was I about to admit it.

"I suppose it is somewhat of an oxymoron Bella. I didn't know you had read Les Miserables."

I smirked in his direction. "I guess I am full of surprises."

"Apparently."

We stayed silent a few seconds more as we got situated with our textbooks and leafs of stranded papers. Edward took out a pen and began to write something down in a black Composition book that looked ragged of use.

"Okay Bella. So why don't we start with what you know."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning, what are your strengths in Spanish. Are you better at grammar or at vocabulary and culture. Speaking, reading or writing etc."

I pushed a stranded curl behind my ear as I tried to figure out what exactly would classify as strengths when I was failing the class. "I guess vocabulary is the easiest. Memorization comes easy and reading is second nature. And speaking isn't too hard either. It's just knowing what to say in the right tense that's the problem."

As I spoke Edward took notes feverishly. Once he was done, he put his pen down and looked up at me. "Good. So you would agree that most of the assignments that you have bombed would have to do with culture, grammar and writing."

I looked into my folder to find all the F tests and assignments.

Edward was right on the nose.

Of course.

"Here is what I suggest. How about we delay the vocabulary altogether and try to fit in the speaking and reading. But what we want to mostly focus on is the grammar. If you can hone your grammar, than it will easily spill over to reading, speaking, and writing."

"That sounds logical," I replied with a head nod. "But what about the culture? The mid-term culture section is going to cover the Panamanian culture, and I haven't the faintest idea where that is."

Edward began to shake his head. "Don't worry about that. I have that figured out. But it will take up one of your Saturday afternoons."

My eyes narrowed at the top of his head, too afraid to look straight at him. "I told you Edward. Saturday's are off limits."

Edward leaned forward and gazed at me. "I don't mean to be pushy Bella, but one Saturday can't hurt. I know by the way you talk about it that your Saturday's are important, but so is your grade. Or am I mistaken that this class will make or break your graduation requirements?"

My eyes found his and I glared at him. "How did you know that?"

"Power of deduction," he said, leaning back into his chair.

I sighed and raked a hand through my curls. "Fine. One Saturday though. That's all I am giving you."

"And that's all I ask."

"So now that we have the formalities out of the way, can we get started on the tutoring?"

Edward gave me that crooked smile again and laughed quietly. "My pleasure."

***

By the end of the session, I walked out of the library feeling confident in my subjunctive tenses and my imperfect tenses, two of my hardest tenses to grasp. Even though I hated to admit it, Edwards way of explaining just clicked. Whenever I got frustrated, he let me vent and waited for me to calm my aching pride. Then he would start again with a newer approach to the topic at hand. If I didn't understand again, he would patiently wait for my quiet fuming to stop and go for another angle again. No one was ever that patient with me. They would either roll their eyes at me and say I was being dramatic as usual or just walk away. With Edward, things were simplistic. And when it wasn't, he would break the complexities piece by piece, forcing it to mold into a simplistic form.

As we both walked to our cars, I found myself actually appreciating Edward's presence rather than staying away from it. But still…I was having a bit of a hard time relating to him. Edward would make a perfect teacher, but anything beyond that like friends made me feel weirded out.

And I'm pretty sure he thought the same thing. There were times in our conversation where he got a little uncomfortable with my eccentric way of expressing myself, making it even more clear that we were polar opposites. So maybe staying in that professional state of mind was a good thing. I didn't want to scare the socially awkward boy with my socially outright mannerisms.

We both walked silently to our cars and as I heard his car door open, I debated on whether or not to say goodbye.

Apparently I didn't need to.

"Hey Bella?"

I turned around after setting my bag on the bench. "What's up?"

"Your mid-term is in two weeks." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah?"

"That means two Friday's of tutoring aren't going to prepare you enough for you to pass that test."

Shit, he was right. I hadn't thought about it. "Umm so what do you suggest we do?"

"Well if it's no inconvenience to you, how about we have another tutoring session on Sunday and a couple more days next week."

I looked down at my shoes and began to think about how much I would have to miss if I took him up on his offer. There were parties I had been invited to and Jake and I were planning on going to catch a movie sometime next week.

_Bella don't be stupid. This guy is being nice and offering you a way to pass a class you desperately need to pass. _I smiled at the ground as I heard the words Alice would have said to me in this situation. And my imaginary Alice was right. Thinking about how I would miss a party and movie was completely unnecessary, considering I had an F in Spanish and I was supposedly determined to raise it.

"Sunday is good. How about we meet at the diner, since the library will be closed."

I saw I tiny bit of surprise pass Edwards face, but I had no idea as to why. "Sounds reasonable. One o'clock good?"

"Fine with me."

"Kay."

Edward said no more and got into his car. The engine on the Volvo silently purred and as I watched Edward drive out of the lot, I involuntarily sighed after him.

"Oh geez," I whispered sarcastically as I got into my car.

_Bella Swan, could you be any more of a girl?_

***

I woke up to the Saturday rain and gusty wind. As I rolled over in bed to shut off the alarm that was going off, I thought back to yesterday's somewhat adventure. It finally seemed like something had gone right. I was so tired of thinking that things weren't going to get fixed and after I walked out of the library, I felt triumphant over my lack of Spanish skills. It was like all the pieces of the puzzle were coming together.

That was until I walked downstairs.

_They_ were fighting again. And so early in the morning. Usually they reserved their fights for the nighttime when they usually thought I was asleep. I could only hear muffles from the bedroom as I walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before leaving the house. I shut my eyes and tried very hard to ignore the volume levels growing louder and more angry. I heard my mother let out a string of curses, so I made the decision to grab my keys off the key holder and jump in the car. I knew I would regret missing breakfast, but I wasn't about to be witness to another one of my parents shouting matches. As much as it hurt, I preferred the numbing sense of denial wash over me. I started up my car and thanked myself for dressing before going downstairs. I held the steering wheel in one hand and balanced my coffee thermos in the other, praying that my clumsiness was still slumbering beneath the surface. As I drove on the familiar rode, I began to relax into my seat.

I kept repeating _Everything's fine, _in my head. They will be fine. We will be fine…hopefully.

I shook my head in anguish and made a quick left into the small parking lot next to a cute blue building. I parked the car in my usual spot and cut the loud engine. Didn't want to disturb anyone out of their wits. I leaned onto the other side of the bench, opened the dashboard, and took out one tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and one See's Candy milk chocolate bar. I smiled at my little possessions as I hopped out of my truck and sped walked to the entrance of the facility. As I walked in, I waved hello to the receptionist in the foyer and signed in as Isabella Swan on the visitor's list.

"How is she doing today," I murmured, scribbling away on the paper.

The receptionist, otherwise known as Judy, smiled her gleaming smile. "Gertie is doing a lot better today. I believe she is awake today."

I felt happiness wiggle in my stomach at the prospects of today and quickly wrote down the time I had come in on the list.

When I looked up, I found Judy eyeing the chocolate bar in my hand. "Isabella, you know you're not allowed to bring in outside food for the patients."

I momentarily wavered and came up with a quick lie to hide my tracks. "Of course. This isn't for Nana. It's for me. I need a little snack every now and then considering the fact that there aren't any vending machines in this place."

Relief washed over Judy's face and I quickly turned to head over to my Nana's room. Once I was an ear shot away from Judy, I muttered, "Yeah right," and continued the long walk to my Great grandma's room.

The convalescent home wasn't my idea. I hated seeing Nana in this facility, with old people who were no longer in their right minds. Nana was strong, an independent. I knew that the day she took a spill in her house and had to wait for hours until someone showed up, that Renee would suggest we put her in a retirement center. Charlie immediately agreed, saying that Nana was at the point in her life where she needed constant supervision.

Nana and I screamed bloody murder until we could scream no more. Nana loved her house. It was a beautiful white one story with a small yet well looked after garden in front. Her floors were made of rich dark wood, and her kitchen always smelled of fresh backed cupcakes. I loved coming over to Nana's every Saturday to read to her, since she could no longer read herself. Nana loved the classics. She had a whole bookshelf in her room devoted to them. But most of all, she loved Austen. She said Austen gave her hope in times of trial, whether it be in love, family, money, or friendship. But now that Nana was in this institution, she could no longer look after her home that held all her little prized trinkets and things.

So every Saturday like clockwork, I would bring something of home to her. Jane Austen was a given, but I loved surprising her with flowers from her garden, oranges from the tree in the back yard, and even some of her old clothes whenever she felt like going for a walk. Today though, it was her all time favorite: See's Candy.

When I finally reached the room, I poked my head in to see if she was truly awake. Lo and behold, Nana was sitting upright in her bed with her eyes closed, listening to a soft melody come out of the radio near her bed. Grandma was always super little. I never got over the fact that at any moment she could break and I would never see her again. So, I gradually tiptoed into the room and tried not to disturb her from her day dreams.

"What do you think you're doing sneaking in unannounced Isabella Marie," she asked without opening her eyes.

I grinned at Nana Gert's way of knowing things without having to hear or see anything.

"Hey Gertrude," I said as I sat down on one of the couches.

My great grandma's forehead creased as I used her full name. "No Gertrude Isabella. You know how I don't like it."

Again I smiled. Nana always made it a point to call me by my full name even though I hated it, but whenever I repeated that same courtesy, she would tell me not to. She once told me the reason, and I laughed so hard that my ribs ached. She said that whenever someone called her Gertrude, she would get a mental image of Gertrude Stein's portrait by Pablo Picasso, and she did _not _want to be compared to Mrs. Stein. She believed her to be too ugly.

_Nana is oh so vain._

" I brought you something," I said and set the See's Candy bar down next to her hand. At the feel of the wrapped paper, she opened on of her lids and looked down at the candy. She closed her eyes again and took the candy bar, smiling one of her "Chocolate Smiles." Nana loved chocolate, so much so, that I had taken the liberty to go to the store one time and buy her three packets of chocolate wafers, a second favorite of hers.

"You really are my great granddaughter," she murmured as she took a small bite out of the chocolate. I watched as she slowly ate, waiting for her to give me the signal to start reading.

Once she finished half of the chocolate, she wrapped it up and stuck it in her nightstand drawer where she kept all her chocolaty valuables. "Well Isabella, what are you waiting for. I believe we left off at the part where Mr. Collins comes to visit the Bennett household."

I made a disgusted sound as I thought back to Mr. Collins and his high and mighty demeanor. "Do we have to read on about Mr. _Collins?_ He's so booooring," I drawled out.

Nana was having none of that. "The sooner you finish up Pride and Prejudice, the sooner we move on to Sense and Sensibility, which by the way, I still do not understand how it is your favorite."

"Well Pride and Prejudice doesn't get to me like Sense and Sensibility does." I shrugged and turned to the book marked page.

"It's just so unnatural. Edward Ferrars over Mr. Darcy? Unfathomable."

I sighed loudly as I made myself comfortable in the chair by sitting Indian style. "Not unfathomable. Is it so hard to understand that I like Edward Ferrars character more than I do Darcy's? Don't get me wrong, Darcy in the end is a redeemable character, but Ferrars fall instantly in love with Margaret. He doesn't need to push aside any pride to see who she really is. He loves her simplistically and holistically."

Nana Gert smirked at me as I waited for her response. "Yes Isabella, but you forget that Edward Ferrars let his feelings run away with him, and it ultimately hurt Margaret because he would not break the ties he had with Lucy Steele."

I scoffed and decided not to have another argument over fictional characters with my Nana. I knew she had a whole lifetime of Austen over me so the odds were looking pretty slim.

I opened the book again and began to read. "Mr. Collins was punctual to his time, and was received with great politeness by the whole family…"

And so the morning and afternoon continued, with Nana Gert lying in bed and me reading to her about the dreadful Mr. Collins.

* * *

So hopefully you are seeing another side of Bella. Yes, I know this Jake thing makes people mad, but it will make it all the more enjoyable when...well...you'll see :)

Next chapter is Edward's and it will be his side of the tutoring session story. I'm not gonna leave you hanging on what he is thinking about. No, no, no. Alright well everyone have a good week and I will hopefully see you soon!

Love, Olivia


	7. Chapter 7

**HOLY CRAP!!! I did it! And guys, I give you full permission to throw a cyber tomoto at me for delaying this chapter so long. I personally hate it when that happens and I didn't know it would take this long to get this out to you. So go ahead...aim and fire...*ducks head* **

**Lol okay, but on a serious note, the reason this took so long was because a) school, b) work, and c) writers block. I have literally re-written this chapter about five times to get it just right. So hopefully you aren't too mad to read it and see how you like it. I hope not to delay the next chapter for so long so keep your fingers crossed for me and I will see you down below :)**

* * *

Chapter 7

EPOV:

I looked down at the board, concentrating awfully hard on what my next move would be. My hand automatically went to my already messed up hair to rake it back. I huffed as my eyes narrowed at the black and white boxes in front of me as if they were mocking me. From a few feet away I heard a low chuckle and I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Edward," my father said from across the table in his office.

"Make your move son."

"I'm still thinking," I mumbled.

"Son, if you keep thinking that long, your brain is going to explode." I could hear my dad's smile in his voice.

I sighed and finally decided to make my move. "Check."

I saw my dad shaking his head and heard him chuckle again. Without looking at me, he moved his Queen on the chess board to stand smack dab in front of my King.

"Check mate son," he said in a low voice.

Sure enough, I saw that my dad had blockaded my King on all sides and I couldn't move anywhere. I groaned and sat back in the comfortable office chair and closed my eyes. "Fine you win."

"Of course I did," I heard my father say in a smug tone.

"How do you keep kicking my ass, I me---"

"Language Edward."

"Yeah yeah, but how? I mean I've beaten everyone I've gone up against, except for you!" My voice rose higher in tone.

All my dad did was smirk as he closed up the chess board. "Son, I have a few more years on you. Remember that next time you challenge me to a game of chess, which--- after your mother---is the love of my life."

I rolled my eyes and got out of the chair. The sun was just coming up as I looked out the window and I groaned again as I realized that I had to get ready for another dreaded day of school. Thankfully it was Friday and after what would be a painful tutoring session with Isabella, I would be able to go home and conk out from the stressfulness of the week and the general annoyingness from all the Neanderthals at school.

"Don't tell mom that, dad. She might burn the chess board and bury the pieces in the backyard."

"Your mother would never…" my dad said as I looked up at him to see the slight fear for his chess pieces on his face.

"Kidding dad, only kidding."

"Uh yeah…I know."

I laughed at the stress in my dad's voice because he loved his chess pieces and board so much that it would kill him to be apart from them forever. In his defense though, the whole chess set was passed down from the line of Cullen's since God knows when, and since my dad was the biggest chess nerd on the planet, this particular chess set was priceless. You wouldn't know it by seeing him, but Dr. Carlisle Cullen was probably the biggest nerd on the planet, so much so that he even surpassed me. My dad had strikingly good looks---blonde, tall, slim yet toned---but his heart always belonged to the intellectual side of the world, rather than the physically attractive and materialistic.

"So Edward, how goes school?"

I looked up at my dad who was now perusing the bookshelf lining the right wall of his office. He had his glasses back on, looking a little bit like me, squinting in immense concentration as he looked for a book.

"Well, as I like to say, just a few more months in hell and I will be saying goodbye to Forks High School forever."

I could hear my dad huff from the other side of the room. "Come now Edward, things can't be all that bad."

"Oh they are, I just know how to handle it," I said as I kept my eyes fixated on the sun rising from behind the mountains.

"Kids still bullying you?"

"What's new? Primates will be primates."

"Isn't that a little too harsh?"

"Nope. I think it suits the motherfuckers at my school just perfectly. And yes I know dad…language."

My dad sighed as he took out a thick and antiqued book from the bookshelf and turned to me. "Just as long as you don't snap like last time. I know you son. You are the most patient and tolerant person I know, but when you break, you can seriously hurt someone."

I was watching the sun come up outside my dad's floor length window in his office and kept my gaze there so I wouldn't have to look at the expression on his face. I knew my dad meant well, but did he have to bring up the only fucked up incident on my almost clean record? "Just as long as that dog stays away from Tanya, we won't have to deal with Mr. Edward Cullen Hyde."

My dad frowned at me and walked behind his desk. "All I'm saying is keep it under wraps Edward . It took a lot of string pulling to keep that little incident covered up."

"I told you, Tanya was in trouble---"

"Yes she was, and as much as I love her like a daughter, it didn't give you the right to almost kill a teenage boy."

I scoffed, but kept my stance of avoiding my dad's eyes for as long as possible. "A teenage boy who obviously didn't know that if he fucked with my best friend, he was bound to get hurt."

My dad sat down in his chair and reclined. All the while, I could feel his gaze boring into the side of my head. "Remember that all this bull these adolescents have put you through will be worth it once you graduate and step into the halls of Julliard. Just a few more months son."

I began to bounce my knee up and down at the excitement of Julliard. My dad was right. He went through a lot to get me out of trouble and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be going to Julliard. My patience and my indifference toward those jerks at school was very important no matter how much I wanted to hurt them. "Okay. I get it."

"Good."

I began to walk toward the chair I was sitting in moments ago and grabbed the jacket hanging from it. "So can I go now? Tan is going to be furious if I'm late in picking her up."

"What happened to her car?"

"It's in the shop, I don't why, but her mom couldn't take her to school this morning, so I'm taking her."

"Wow, quite the gentleman."

I rolled my eyes and made my way to the door. "You know me."

"Always coming to the damsel's rescue."

"Tan isn't a damsel. She's strong dad."

"I know Edward, but it's good to see that you treat her so kindly. It makes me believe that I raised you right…even if your language can be a bit vulgar at times."

I smiled at my dad's disapproval, thinking how similar he and my mother were.

"So how is Tanya doing?"

"Surprisingly good. Therapy is progressing so much so that she is able to have a boyfriend now."

"Who, you?"

"No, some college guy named Laurent. She seems really into him," I replied looking down at my jacket hanging from my hands.

"Well tell her I say hello when you see her."

"Will do."

My dad smiled as he waved me off with his hand. I walked out of his office and down the stairs, knowing that I only had a few minutes to get to Tanya's before she had a cow. I yelled a quick goodbye to my mother who was in the kitchen watching some cooking network channel on the TV. I ran to my car trying not to get wet from the rain that was pouring down. As I drove out of the driveway, I let out a huge sigh, wondering how the hell I was going to be able to put up with my dad's reprimanding. It's not like I killed a person. And I wasn't the type of person who usually lashed out on a regular basis. I was a calm person, always making sure not to rub people the wrong way and keeping my mouth shut even when I got bullied around. But seeing what I saw that night last year, triggered something deep within me. A sort of animalistic trait to attack the predator who was feasting on something pure…and enjoying it.

A ripple went down my spine as I shook the image out of my head. As I looked out to see where I was, I was surprised to see that I had made it to Tanya's without even noticing it. It was as if my whole body was on autopilot and all I could think about were those memories.

A knock at my passenger window made me almost jump out of my skin. I snapped my head toward the pounding and saw Tanya in a heavy black parka almost drowning in it for the sake of not drowning in the rain. I smiled toward her and immediately unlocked the door.

"What the hell Cullen? I've been standing out there for about five freaking minutes," she wailed as she shook off the rain from her parka.

I started the car up and pulled out onto the road. "You exaggerate Tan Tan, and stop shaking the rain off on my leather seats. You do realize this car is my baby right?"

Tanya looked over at me and cocked an eyebrow. "Whatever. Clearly you are an overprotective ass."

"You've known that since we were four."

"This is true," she mumbled. I couldn't help but laugh at her annoyed expression.

Ever since I could remember, I loved getting Tanya super annoyed with me. It was something I always took advantage of because frankly, the girl never could be mad at me for long. It was all a part of the perks of being the closest thing to a brother she had.

After a few minutes of silence, I looked over at Tanya who was aimlessly staring out the window.

"Tan tan," I whispered as I reached over to grab her hand.

"Hmm?"

"You don't actually think I am an ass do you?"

She cracked a smile that I could see all the way from my seat. "No Edward, you're not an ass. There are plenty of them out there, but you are certainly not one of them."

"Good to hear," I said and brought the hand that was holding hers back to the steering wheel.

"So what are you doing this weekend," I asked.

"I'm seeing Laurent on Saturday. He's taking me to some fancy restaurant in Seattle, so that should be fun."

"Hmm sounds it."

"Yeah, what about you?"

"Tutoring after school with Isabella and then Emmett's coming home, so we might be doing something."

Tanya looked suspiciously at me as I pulled into the school lot and parked in my usual spot. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason."

"With you there is always a reason. Tell me."

"Well, it's just the way you talk about the tutoring and Bella. It's like your being forced to watch MTV or something."

I made what I'm sure was a sour and bitter look at Tanya. "God don't remind me. I still don't know how you deal with The Hills and all those raunchy music videos."

"You know most guys like that stuff: Girls in little bikinis and shorty shorts, waving their as---"

"Okay stop please, I might vomit my breakfast, and seeing Esme's chocolate chip pancakes go to waste would be sacrilegious."

"All I'm saying is that you need to give Bella a chance. She's---"

"A nice girl, I get it," I said as I shut the door to my car and walked out into the frigid morning air.

Tanya slammed the passenger door and I internally winced at the forcefulness on my beautiful car. Did she have to be so rough on my baby?

"Edward, I know you've taken a lot of fucked up things at this high school. But I'm pretty sure Bella was never a part of those incidents," Tanya stated as she walked by my side.

I gave her a smirk and bumped her with my shoulder. "Tan, must we talk about this? I know where you're going with this and like I told you before, I am going to give her a chance. I am just going at a slower pace. A pace that you obviously don't prefer, but that's the way it's going to be."

Tanya rolled her eyes at me and sighed in surrender. "Fine, be stubborn. But when Bella proves you wrong, I will be expecting you to bow before me."

I laughed at the mental image and slung an arm over Tanya's shoulders. "I will even erect a shrine in your honor. How about that?"

"Perfect." Tanya smiled up at me as I opened the school door for her.

"Why thank you, Mr. Cullen."

"My pleasure Miss. Denali."

***

The rest of the day was met with its usual ups and downs. The highlight of the morning was when Mike snuck up behind me and poured an open bottle of water on my head. It must be said, the guy was losing his talent. The only thing he was good for was tormenting me, but the water bottle trick was completely textbook, much like the vulgar scribbling on my locker. Poor Mike didn't get to have the satisfaction of seeing "Wet Edward" considering the fact that a towel and extra black long sleeve shirt was stashed in my locker. Again, always be prepared when you are Edward Anthony Cullen. You never knew when dickheads like Mike would pull something on you unexpectedly.

Although I never gave Mike the satisfaction of seeing me break, those raw feelings I was having when talking to my dad sprung up again. It was like an open wound being rubbed with sand. I felt it throughout the whole day, making sure that I didn't lash out at anyone.

I thought I had made it through the day scratch free, but with my luck, the Fates weren't going to have it. I was walking out of Chemistry with my bulky folder in hand and as I rounded a corner, I came face to face with Mike and his buddies outside of Mr. Rodriguez's class. They were laughing, and making obscene gestures towards each other. I was pretty sure they didn't notice me, but I was wrong. Tyler Crawley, Mike's right hand man and most likely his future lover, spotted me walking past them with my head down and my folder tightly grasped to my side.

Perfect target.

I heard Tyler clear his throat from a few feet away so I stopped and looked up. Sure enough there was Tyler, trying his hardest to tower over me, even though I was a couple inches taller than him.

"What the fuck are you doing in my hallway Cullen," he asked in a low and sinister tone.

I scoffed at him and rolled my eyes knowing that all he wanted was to get a rise out of me, which was of course impossible, considering that I never gave in. I began to walk to my locker, when I felt two big and pudgy hands make forceful contact with my back. My body slammed into the row of lockers in front of me, and I heard my head snap forward and hit cold metal.

"No one ignores me, got it Cullen? Now answer me. What the fuck are you doing in my hallway pussy?"

As I pushed myself off the lockers, I brushed a hand over my lips realizing I had broken skin and my lip was bleeding. _Great, just great. Now we are getting violent. _I turned to face Tyler and made sure to keep my composure. I knew my temper that I kept hidden so well was dying to boil over, but I could hear my dad in my head telling me not to screw things up.

Tyler scoffed at me as I kept up my staring act. "What Cullen. You mute or some shit?"

I gave him a smile as if his words pleased me in some way when they actually made me want to beat his head through a wall. "Go fuck yourself Tyler. And don't ever push me again."

"Oooh, the nerd makes demands now does he," Tyler said as I began to walk off. I didn't have time for Tyler's crap right now. I had tutoring, and even though I wasn't looking forward to it, I never backed out on my word. So I guess Tyler's ass would just have to wait for next time.

I had made it to my car and quickly got in to get the heater started. Tanya had told me during lunch that her mom was going to pick her up so I had loads of time to get to the library. I drove in quick haste while I listened to a random radio station. The miserable weather outside my window seemed to be reflecting my own sentiments as I drove down the wet street. As I pulled into the parking lot of the library and found a parking spot near the entrance, I heard Tanya and my mother telling me to give Bella a chance. I internally groaned knowing that as much as I hated to admit it, I was being a jerk not giving Bella the benefit of the doubt. My head was in a bit of a mess as I tried to make a decision on Isabella.

Finally I decided to give up and proceeded to get out of the car with my book bag in hand. I knew where we were going to be sitting, but it was possible that Bella had never set foot in a library. I decided to put my stuff down at the secluded table behind all the bookshelves and then go outside to wait for Bella. Great plan…until I sat down for one second and took out all the contents of my bag and came face to face with the book I was currently reading: Les Miserables. I knew that I would get stuck reading if I didn't get up quickly and walk, but being the total idiot I was, I grabbed the book and began to read…and read. I had always been interested in 19th century France that I found myself ignoring everyone for the sake of reading authors like Dumas and Hugo. Over the summer Tanya would come over to the house and leave in a fit because I wouldn't pay attention to her. I got a kick out of it, but apparently my indifference infuriated her to no end.

I was at the part in the book where Marius and Cossette met for the first time, when I heard someone say my name from a few feet away. My head shot up in surprise as my eyes made contact with the light brown eyes of Isabella Swan. She was standing a few feet away looking a bit awkward in her jacket with her books in hand. I squinted up at her, shocked at the realization that she had found my spot in the library. As I took in what was happening, I realized that we were basked in a bit of awkward silence and I internally slapped myself for being a retard.

"Hey," I said. _Way to go retard. Is that all you can say?_

I occupied my hands with shutting my book and sticking it---a bit forcefully---into my backpack.

"Sorry, I totally meant to meet you out front, but…" I began to say, but she interrupted me.

"You got distracted. I can tell." I looked up at her again and saw her smile down at me.

"Yeah."

_Good God man. All hail Prince of the One Syllable. _

"Understandable," I heard her say as she took a seat across from me.

"What were you reading," she asked trying to make small talk with me.

I looked at her knowing that she wasn't really interested in what I had to say so I told her she didn't have to pretend to be interested. When I said that, her eyes popped open, and I could see a bit of sadness on her face. _What the fuck? _I thought people like her didn't feel. But then again, I guess my assumption was a bit of a deuce bag move.

"I wasn't acting, but if you say so…"

She looked down at the books in front of her and I began to reprimand myself for being so rude.

"Les Miserables," I said quietly in answer to her question.

Her head shot up and I could see that the title had caught her interest. "Really? How do you like it so far?"

"It's good. I'm not one for depressing literature, but the time period is a favorite."

"So you're not one for depressing literature, but you are one for depressing history?"

_What did she just say? _I sat there in silence as I saw Bella's eyes widen once more as if she had said something wrong. The girl was beginning to surprise me in more ways than one. I was shocked that she even knew what Les Mis was.

"What do you mean," I asked as I played with my sleeves.

"You know, The French Revolution, the Guillotine, the blood, the starvation and the death. Your saying that France in the 1800's is a favorite, yet you don't like the depressing mood of Les Mis , which was set in that 'depressive' time period of French history. It's kind of oxymoronic don't you think?"

I was stumped. That never happened to me. Ever. No one ever questioned my line of thinking unless it was my father. Even teachers found that my facts and commentary were a whole lot better than their own. And now? I was getting stumped by a girl who I thought only cared about how good her hair looked.

I could hear Tanya laughing in my head as I began to realize that she was right. _Christ, I seriously was a deuce bag. _

I looked back at Bella who was just staring at me as I mused over what she had just said. I gave her a smile and said, "I suppose it is somewhat of an oxymoron Bella. I didn't know you had read Les Miserables."

She just smirked and simply said, "I guess I am full of surprises."

"Apparently."

I sat there silently as I got myself situated. I grabbed my overly used composition book , a pen and began to write out a To Do List.

"Okay Bella. So why don't we start with what you know."

"Meaning…"

I pushed my glasses up, trying really hard to not let them slip off the bridge of my nose. "Meaning, what are your strengths in Spanish. Are you better at grammar or at vocabulary and culture. Speaking, reading or writing etc."

I watched as she pushed a stray brown curl back behind her ear and chewed on her bottom lip. She began to talk about the strengths and I took notes on the margins of my paper. I looked over her tests and quizzes and found that she needed most help in culture, grammar, and writing. I suggested we really work on the grammar, which was key in helping her with her writing. And since I knew that finding time for the culture section of the class in the midst of everything else would be hard, I had already planned somewhat of a field trip for her. Unfortunately, I had to persuade her to give up one Saturday so we could be able to do it. For some reason she was super protective over her Saturdays. I had no idea why though, and she had no intention of telling me. Finally, I placed before her the facts of her predicament, and she finally agreed reluctantly.

After getting all the business out of the way, we started the tutoring, and it went surprisingly well. At times Bella would throw a bit of a tantrum if she didn't understand what I was trying to teach her, so I would try my best to change it up a little bit. If it didn't work the first time, I would try again and sooner or later she would finally get it. Overall, she was a really good student, and easy to teach. Whenever she would get something right, I would see her eyes sparkle in pride and it made me…happy. I even found myself laughing with her sometimes. As we finished up, I told her she had done really well for her first day and that I had confidence in the fact that she could master this language if she could just give herself the opportunity to see her potential.

We walked out of the library together, and as we did, it dawned on me that her midterm was really close and that two Friday's of tutoring wasn't going to be enough. I told her this, and she agreed that we meet at the diner on Sunday and a few more days after that. We said our goodbyes, I got in the car and drove home.

When I got to my house, it was already dark and I could see that all the lights in the house were out. I remembered my dad telling me this morning during our chess match that he was taking my mom out to dinner because they hadn't had any time to be alone with each other in a while. Personally, I got a bit grossed out about how lovey dovey my parents were, but it I had respect for that. Knowing how hard it was these days to keep a marriage afloat, made me prideful to have them as parents.

I walked out of my car, locked it and strolled over to the entrance wondering what I was going to do with all this alone time. Emmett wasn't coming home until tomorrow, so I decided to take advantage of everyone's absence. I walked into the house, passed the living room and went down the dark hallway until I reached the last door on the right. I opened it quietly as if I was about to enter sacred ground. There, standing before me was my beautiful Grand Piano in all its glory. I slowly closed the door behind me and walked slowly up to the piano like it might break if I made any sudden movements. I sat down at the piano bench, took a deep breath and began to play a piece I had composed a year ago. Most of the notes I was playing felt melancholy as they ricocheted off the walls. The melody grew faster as I played the keys harder and with more precision. As the song began to slow, it came back to that low and sad melody I was accustomed to hearing in my head every time I thought about the things that happened last year. The piece came to a subtle end and I silently took my fingers off the keys as if they were too tired to continue with something else. As I opened my eyes, I noticed the music sheets sitting on the little stand in front of me. I scoffed at the sheets as if they were mocking me and stood up, not wanting to think on the fact that ever since I had finished this particular composition, I couldn't come up anymore.

It's like I had writers block and I couldn't think of anything to write or play. It was infuriating because I wanted to put all my emotion into a piece just so I could have an outlet for all the stress and anger I was accustomed to feeling. Playing the piano was my way of finding resolve and closure. If it wasn't for my Grand, I would have been in a deep whole digging my own grave. Tanya would always ask why I never fought back at school except for that one time and it was all because of the music. I used music as my catharsis, but ever since that night, I couldn't come up with anything. It was a scary feeling not knowing what would happen if I snapped again, and I didn't want to find out. But my whole problem was in the fact that I had no inspiration to compose. I missed it more than anything, and if I didn't find inspiration that would bring about something positive, I might just slip and fall back into that state of negativity.

And God knows I didn't want that.

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**Phew! and we come to the end of chapter 7! I know, I know...Edward has such skewed assumtions. Aren't you glad Bella put him in his place? I am ;) And yaaay we are going on a field trip, but to where i wonder...hmmm. And are we ready to finally know what the heck happened to Tanya and when B & E are getting together? All in good time :D **

***wipes cyber tomato's off shirt* ok thanks so much for sticking with the story guys. If there were any typos, my bad, but i really wanted to get this out to you. **

**Thanks again for reading,**

**Olivia. **


	8. Chapter 8

***Crawls out of the hole of the real world.* I know it's been ages! I have no excuse. Bad, bad Olivia! *Slaps wrists.* BUT I am back with a new chapter of the Tutor. I know it's been months since an update, and that's due to my inability to balance things. So I hope you guys don't hate me for this long wait. ANYWHO! Back to the story shall we? We get to see a little more of what goes on in Edward's pretty little head today! Always fun don't you think? Well I think so. Hope you enjoy loverlies and I shall see you down below. **

Chapter 8

EPOV

I decided to cease my ill attempts to write something by 3 in the morning. Ever since I could remember, I wasn't a good sleeper. I would spend most of my nights practicing an instrument of my choice (except the drums because I would be done for if I ever woke up a cranky Cullen from their slumber), or I would read a book, finish homework or listen to music. But what I liked doing the most was sitting outside when it wasn't too cold and listen to the creeping silence of the lake near my house. I didn't do that very much anymore because I had become too much of a lazy ass to put on a jacket and just walk out the back door to the spacious backyard. I guess I did have something in common with the typical teenager of the 21st century. I would've never have thought.

I woke up from a four hour slumber , rubbing at my eyes as I felt the dried sleep at the corner of my lids. When I realized that it was Saturday, I did a little bed jig that only involved the lower half of my body. Embarrassing, yes, but who gave a fuck? I surely didn't. It was my bed jig and I wasn't changing by bed habits for anything. I sat up slowly and looked out my window. The sun was still asleep behind the mountains, so I threw my legs off my bed and readied myself for my daily morning run. I know I was the epitome of nerdmania, but having a doctor for a father influenced my habits more than I would have liked. In the end though, I was thankful that Carlisle made his sons be physically active in some shape or form. If I wasn't so caught up in books and papers and assignments, I think I would've been a little more like Emmett in the sense of having a huge advantage over me in the social department. But as it was, I didn't, so again for the second time this morning, I thought _Fuck it,_ and made my way to the front door and into the outside cold air.

My run wasn't that big of a challenging feet, but it still gave me an exhilarating high from being outside and sucking in the air of a new and clear day. I made a left at the end of my street and decided to try another route. As soon as I reached the end of the street I was on though, I knew it was a horrible idea. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared blankly at the black truck in front of a white two story house. I knew for sure that it wasn't the same truck that made my blood curl like that night Junior year, but it looked so much like it. I shook my head vigorously trying to suppress the images that were beginning to infiltrate my head, but it was no good, and as I began to run back to my regular route, I unwillingly started to remember…

**8 Months Before:**

October 31.

Halloween.

F.M.L.

Tanya was begging me to go to a local party and I just wasn't having it. She was going on about how much fun it would be and that I didn't even have to drink if I didn't want to because it would be a fun night if only I would go with her. I was done listening to her and decided to walk out of the living room in hopes that she would just leave. Instead she followed me up to my room on the third floor. She kept calling me by my last name, and I was getting super tired of it. Ever since we "broke up," she'd been distancing herself by not acknowledging me by my first name. It was her way of defending herself, but it was also a way to get me annoyed.

I heard my door slam behind me and knew that Tanya hadn't even begun to finish her ranting. "Cullen come on! You never do anything fun that doesn't involve brooding over a book or running. So goddamn typical of you!"

That was it. I had had enough. I spun around, faced my best friend, and counted to ten before beginning. "Tanya that's enough! You know I don't want to go because a) It won't be fun, b) I will have to mingle with people who share the same hate I reserve for them and c) what the hell are you wearing?"

It looked like Tanya was attacked by a leopard with the flimsy leopard halter top and that tight miniskirt. And on top of that she was wearing ears with the same print. To be blunt, it looked like she _wanted _to be molested. Whatever happened to a ghost outfit that covered skin?

"It's called a costume. But I guess you wouldn't know that considering how much of a hermit you are!"

I put my head in my hands and took in another deep breath. "That's never bothered you before."

"Well of course it hasn't! It's because we've known nothing else but these four walls ever since we were little. And now that I want to experience something other than a quiet night at the Cullen home, you refuse to go with me." Tanya flailed her arms up in the air like she was about to take off for flight.

I sat down at my desk and stared at my computer screen. I waited for Tanya to speak again because I had seriously given up on trying to reason with her.

"You know what your problem is Cullen? You can't stand to see me with other people. People meaning guys our age. Your jealous!"

I spun around in my chair and stared at her with wide eyes. Was she fucking kidding me? When we broke up, we agreed that the idea was mutual because it was so goddamn weird pretending we were into each other that way. Now she was throwing it in my face like I was the one who was still lovesick for her.

I kept my voice low so that I wouldn't say something I would regret. "Tanya, you know that what your saying is utter horseshit. If you want to go to a party with people lacking chromosomes then go ahead. But don't come into my house and throw around bullshit you know isn't true."

Tanya stood there with her mouth open, while I swiveled in my chair in order to stare out at the dark night.

"Fuck you Cullen," I heard her say in a quiet whisper.

I smirked before answering. "No, but thanks for offering."

That did it for her. I heard the door slam behind me and Tanya's little heels clomping down the stairs. As soon as I heard the front door close, I slumped in my chair. I knew that I only did it so that Tanya would leave me alone, but the feeling I was getting at the pit of my stomach made me realize that what I had done was low. I hurt my best friend and even though she had done the same, I had no right to do it to her.

She was overreacting and I in turn overreacted as well. I prided myself in being a good person even though I had every right to lash out at people because, frankly, my life was hell. But I had turned my back on the one person who was willing to face the fire with me. Tanya was the girl who would clean me up after a scuffle with Mike or one of his cronies. She was the girl who would make me laugh after a bitter trial in the cafeteria.

And I had pushed her away in a moment of haste.

And it disgusted me.

I sighed before getting my ass off the chair and walking over to my nightstand where my phone was. I went to my contacts and immediately pressed on Tanya's number and brought the phone to my ear. The phone rang and rang but she didn't answer. Understandable, considering I aimed way below the belt.

I tried calling a few more times until I was finally met with her voicemail. She was deliberately blocking me out.

Knowing that it would be a while before she saw reason, I decided to sit at the windowsill and listen to a bit of music before trying Tanya again. I could hear the sound of loud rap music coming from the house next door to ours and tried to desperately block it out. And that was the type of music Tanya wanted to torture me with if I went to her stupid little party. It was absolutely ludicrous. She knew me better than anyone and she knew how much I didn't belong. It's not that I was feeling sorry for myself, it was just me stating the facts of the matter. Tanya would say that if I just gave people a chance, then I would be surprised at what I would find.

I scoffed at the idea. The day I found out that Mike had a brain and Tyler had a heart, would be the day I ate my own fingers, because there was no way in hell that that was true.

An hour went by before I called Tanya's cell again. She didn't answer.

I was getting a little worried after the fifth call and decided to call her parents house.

"Hello," I heard a sleepy voice in the receiver.

"Irina is that you?" Irina was Tanya's older sister who decided to come home after a rigorous first semester in college. She was taking this semester off and going back to Seattle University where she was studying to be a nurse.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"It's Edward."

Irina yawned and I was a bit flummoxed to realize that it was almost 12 o'clock. _Start panicking Cullen._

"Tanya's not home. She's at some party I think."

I began to pace my room. "Yeah that's why I called. Did she tell you where this party was going to be at?"

_Please know, please know, please know. _

"I'm pretty sure she said it was at Jacob Black's house, but I can't be sure."

I let out a huge breath. I knew where that guy lived. Granted, it was a bit weird that the party was at his place, because he seemed like a total loner. And not my kind of loner, but a creepy loner way. "Thanks Irina, I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Mhhm, you owe me coffee or something in the near future."

"Deal. Goodnight."

"Night Eddie." I cringed at the nickname before hanging up.

In a speed that could rival superman, I had my jacket on, keys in hand and was now out the door. I started my new car and backed out of the driveway before you could say 'bolt.'

Jake's place was only a few minutes away from my house and since almost everyone was out partying, it meant easy access to empty roads. As I turned right on his street I could hear the music. I let out a massive sigh of relief before stopping the car and getting out. A lot of the kids I went to school with were out on the lawn, drinking from red cups and laughing incessantly. I pushed through the crowd and into the house. On the way I was almost ran over by Elvis, pinched in the ass by a gargoyle, and hit in the ribs by a wrestler.

I began calling out to Tanya and decided to go back outside and look there. The house was pretty tiny, so I knew that if she wasn't in there, she was most likely outside.

I decided to go out the side door that led to the driveway of the Black's house so that I might not be violated by a girl dressed as Posh Spice that was headed my way. I shut the door silently and walked down the steps onto the driveway. I looked up to someone screaming and after coming into eye contact with one of the most horrific sights to ever plague my mind, all I could remember after that was yanking open the massive door of a black truck.

**Present Day:**

I made it back to the house in record time and didn't stop running until I was in my bathroom and under the cold drizzle of water in my shower. I always hated remembering that night. It happened the day I saw Jacob in the school parking lot and it had happened plenty of times before that. Little things like seeing a black truck or hearing Tanya crying because she accidently stubbed her finger with a knife after attempting to help my mother in the kitchen would trigger them, and the memories would make me react in ways I hated seeing myself.

I turned off the showerhead and began to dry myself roughly as if the thoughts would scrape off along with the cold droplets of water. I got dressed in a white long sleeved shirt and some black jeans before heading downstairs for breakfast. Mom was out, probably at the office aiding in this new project a bit outside of town.

The smell of eggs, bacon, and potatoes hit me smack dab in the face as I entered the kitchen. I laid eyes on my target: The massive plate filled with breakfast-y goodness. Entering this kitchen was like entering the gates of paradise and those memories that were about to cause me a headache slowly dissipated into nothing as I poured myself some coffee. I was in the process of putting the plate of food in the microwave when I felt big hands envelop me around the neck and closing in tightly. I dropped the plate loudly on the counter-thankfully not dropping any food-and began to struggle against the beast that had me locked.

"Shit on toast Emmett! Let me the fuck go," I yelled.

I heard Emmett's big and hearty chuckle from behind me. "Hey little brother! What a warm welcome. You know what Ma and Pa would say about that dirty mouth of yours."

"You…should…talk!" I began to kick behind me and finally made contact with what I believed to be Emmett's knee.

"Whoa whoa! Damn Eddie, I was only kidding." With that, Emmett let go of me and moved away from my flailing self.

"Sure, says the guy who had me in a choke hold five seconds ago."

Emmett gave me his kid smile before stuffing his head in the refrigerator.

Typical.

"So how is everything baby brother?" Emmett emerged from the fridge with a Pepsi in hand.

"Everything's good on the home front. How was Vegas?"

"Disgusting. I never left my room unless it was for a fight." Emmett took a seat on the stool at the island.

I smirked at him as I put my food in the microwave. "That's a pretty quick change of heart from the last time you came home from Vegas. What changed?"

"You know what changed bro."

"Ah the lovely Rose has changed you for the better. How fucking poetic."

Emmett laughed and burped at the same time. "I see your still your funny ass self, little brother. Tell me you don't sweet talk Tanya that way."

At the mention of Tanya I felt my grin slowly turn into a frown.

"Dude what's up?" Emmett looked concerned.

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked down at my coffee cup. "It's nothing man. I just had a flashback to the night while I was out running."

Emmett's forehead creased at the mention of Halloween night. After the incident, I had called him, too afraid to answer to my parents for what I had done. It was probably a bad idea, because after laying eyes on Tanya and the state she was in, he wanted to finish up what I started.

"Was it bad?"

I heard the microwave beep and I turned around to take my food out. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Are you sure bro?" Emmett could be a dick and a total kid for the most part, but deep down he had a side to him that I could count on to have my back. He was there that night, and he would be there any other night I needed him.

"I'm sure Emmett." I sat down across from him and began to eat. So goddamn delicious.

"All I know is that asshole is going down if ever I see him again. Deucebag tried to mess with Tanya and if he tries to tangle himself with another girl here in Forks, boys going to have to deal with me."

I smiled around the fork in my mouth. The giant had my back and Tanya's. "Don't worry. If he tries any shit, he'll have to deal with me too." As I said the words, I couldn't help but think back to the day I saw his filthy arms around Bella.

"Alright man, enough with this brooding bullshit. After your done we're going paintballing."

I laughed at Emmett's quick change of heart. Emmett may be twenty three, but he never ceased to amaze me at how much of kid he still was.

"Sure thing brother."

**Can I just say that I love overprotective Cullen boys? Always fun! So tell me what you all think about this chapter, and I shall hopefully have an update next week, as I am trying to get back into the groove of writing without the stress of real life clouding over my little brain. **

**Much love, Olivia**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alrighty, here we go! So happy to get this chapter out to you guys. Right now it's 1:20 am, but I was just so excited to get some Edward and Bella interaction! So here we are with another chapter of the Tutor and I shall see you all down below. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Steph M owns Twilight…but you knew that. **

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Chapter 9

BPOV

You know, waking up to the sound of The Black Eyed Peas' song _I Gotta Feeling _reverberating throughout the house isn't as bad as it sounds. It could be worse. One time I woke up to find that my mother had gone through a Rocky Horror Picture Show phase overnight and all I heard for weeks was _Time Warp _playing from the living room stereo_. _It took me months to get Tim Curry and his hip thrusting out of my mind after mom came back to the normalcy of life.

So as I got up and dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt under a plaid button up, I couldn't help but dance a little to the song playing downstairs. My hair was still a little damp from the shower I took last night so I did a quick brush through and grabbed a ponytail for later. I did my usual brushing of the teeth and putting on of the shoes before I made my way down the stairs. The noise got louder and louder and when I hit the last step, I had to grab the banister just in case the noise tried to knock me over. I could yell for my mother, but I knew it would be a wasted effort. So I made my way to the living room, the nucleus of all the noise in my house. Things would never be normal I thought as I entered the living room and saw Renee getting down and dirty while she vacuumed our pathetic excuse for a carpet. It took Mom a few seconds to recognize my presence in the room, but once she did she smiled and yelled something about breakfast being on the kitchen table. I quickly walked to the refuge of the kitchen and saw that my mom had successfully avoided cooking anything and resorted to toastable edible's. I sat myself down and ate the fluffy waffles while I mumbled along to The Black Eyed Peas singing a song about Booms and Pows. I was pretty sure that in a few more hours the neighbors would be complaining about the noise emanating from the Swan house, but I brushed it off. My mother was an eccentric person who did what she wanted even if it pissed people off. And surprisingly, it made me happy to be her daughter.

My musings about Renee were cut short when I heard the music being turned down and my Dad talking in harsh tones toward my mother. I dropped my fork silently and walked into the hallway that led to the living room. It wasn't that I was eavesdropping…okay maybe I was eavesdropping, but how could you not? This was in fact my house too. It wasn't my fault what I heard.

I made sure not to be seen as I hid behind the wall and it was a good thing too. Dad was in full uniform ready to leave the house. That was odd. He never worked on Sunday because he liked spending time at home and sometimes he even spent it with Billy watching sports on Billy's huge flat screen.

Even though the music was still playing, I could still hear what my father was saying.

"Honestly Renee, you're not eighteen anymore. Cut it out with this music." Dad had his arms crossed over his chest and by the looks of it he could have very well been reprimanding an eighteen year old with the way my mom was hanging her head down.

"Charles, it was just a little something to brighten up a day of cleaning. You don't have to be so offended by it."

"It's not the music that offends me, it's the way you're acting. It's as if you don't realize you're not a kid. Only children listen to this painful excuse for music."

"Charles stop acting so patronizing, it's just a little-,"

"Fun, is that what you're going to tell me Renee? Let me put it in words you can understand."

"Honey please…"

"You know what, I'm done with this conversation. If you're having a midlife crisis, fine, but when I get back from work, I want my wife back, not this woman who thinks blasting musical headaches around the house is 'fun.'" My dad made his way to the front door, grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger and forcefully slammed the door behind him. A few seconds later I heard his cruiser start up and back out of the driveway. I turned to my mother who was staring wide eyed out the window and decided to make a move. My father was always a nice person. He never got angry at mom or me and seeing him grill my mother that way was heartbreaking. Mom, for being an adult, was still a kid inside and I never minded having to deal with her "Teenage Phases." It was always hilarious seeing her try things she never did when she was younger, like the time we both took a hack at skateboarding and almost crashed into my rustic truck. Or the time we tried bungee jumping and how she almost broke my eardrums from her screaming. Mom was a free spirit and the lady I was staring at now-all broken down and sitting on the couch with her head in hands-kind of broke my heart. Who gave a fuck if she was spirited and wanted to play a little harmless music. I honestly didn't know why Dad had given her such a hard time.

As I went to pat her on the back with one hand, I reached over to the stereo with the other and brought the volume back up. She looked up at me and fortunately she wasn't crying, but she did look a little tired from the argument with dad.

My mom gave out a tiny sigh before getting up. "I don't know why he's so angry with me Bella."

Her little voice made me want to throw something at my dad. I knew assaulting an officer was cause for great damage, but it didn't count if he was off duty right? "Forget him Mom. Let's just get this place spotless all right? And then after I get back from my tutoring session, I'll treat you to some ice cream and a sappy romantic comedy."

She gave me a small smile that didn't reach very high, but I took what I could get. I grabbed the duster that was leaning on the sofa and handed it to my mom, while I walked over to the vacuum and resumed cleaning up the carpet.

And that's the way we stayed for the rest of the morning as Fergie belted out something along the lines of, "Can you meet me halfway…"

At 11:50 I knew that I wasn't going to be able to help Mom clean up the whole house. She knew about my tutoring session with Edward and told me that my academics came first. As I grabbed my coat from the coat rack near the door, I heard my mom chuckle under her breath. I grinned at her as I put one arm into a sleeve.

"What's so funny Mom?"

Renee looked up at me in a little bit of a shock because she thought I didn't hear her. "Oh nothing sweetie."

"Come on Mom, what's up," I asked with a quizzical expression on my face. Renee always told me everything.

Mom smirked at me and sat down on the couch. "It's just…I know you and Edward don't run in the same circles at school, but Bella, don't you find him a bit…I don't know…handsome?"

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is about Edward?…WAIT! This is about Edward being attractive? God smite me with an aneurysm or something…_

I shrugged my shoulders and tried not to picture anything remotely attractive about Edward Cullen. "I guess…why do you ask?"

Mom sighed and slumped back into the sofa…_Oh…God…she sighed! For Edward? _

"I mean he's got that look Bella. From back in the days, where any man looked dashing and classy if he wore a suit in a black and white movie. Like a teenage Gregory Peck with dark red hair, you know?"

I stood rigid, my hand on the doorknob and screaming at myself for not leaving in time. "You do know you just ruined Gregory Peck's performance in _Roman Holiday_ for me right?"

Mom waved her little hand in my direction. "Oh Bella please! You asked."

"Yeah, and I so wish I hadn't because now I am late, and I'll have to burn my copy of _Roman Holiday_ when I get home, which sucks because you know how much I love Audrey."

Mom laughed at me. Clearly she didn't think I was serious. "Okay Mom, Edwards probably at the diner waiting, so I've got to go. Love you!"

"Love you too sweetie! Don't have too much fun!"

"Like that will ever happen," I mumbled as I closed the door behind me.

As I sat in my truck waiting for it to warm up, I decided to think about what Mom said. She was right, I hated to admit. Edward did have this…air about him that made him look quite good-looking. But he was_ Edward Cullen_, resident geek who probably spent most of his time hauled away in his room watching Star Wars or something just as nerdy. Sure we had the book thing in common, but that was probably it. Oh and the glasses. The glasses! They were practically Harry Potter status…okay maybe I'm exaggerating but still!

I hit myself on the forehead as I backed out of the driveway. Stupid move, seeing as I forgot to notice the trash bins that were still out on the street. I slammed my breaks hard and let out a distressed sigh.

"My mother totally mind fucked me."

I made it to the diner at 12:10. I may be a lot of things, but late was not one of them. As I parked next to the familiar silver Volvo in the diners little parking lot, I made a subconscious move and looked into the full length window of the diner and saw Edward's back sitting on the counter. From what I could tell, he was drinking coffee, and-what a surprise-reading another book. I put the truck in park and quickly made my exit. I rushed over to the entrance of the diner and tried to go unnoticed, but one of the regulars saw me sneaking around and called out my name.

Edward's head immediately shot up and looked for me. When he saw me a few feet away all he did was smile and salute me with his white coffee cup.

I returned the smile and said hello to Pete, the customer who called me out. _Thanks Pete._

After I felt my cordiality was no longer necessary, I walked over to the counter with what I assumed to be an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It took forever to get out of the house today," _kinda true, _"If you had a mother like mine you would understand my predicament." _Very true._

Edward gave me a half smile and I saw his green eyes twinkle. _Twinkle, did you just say twinkle? Wow Bella…_

It's okay Bella, but do tell, why is your mother to blame for your tardiness?"

_Danger Will Robinson! Abort!_

"Well she was kind of going on about…you…actually," _Oh shiiiiiit. _

Edwards smile turned into a smirk. "Really?"

"Yup," I replied with major emphasis on the P.

"You're not going to elaborate?"

"Nope."

Edward laughed and took a huge gulp from his cup. "Alright then. Have it your way Miss Swan."

"Well my way _is _always the best."

He smiled around the rim of the cup and I could tell that if he didn't swallow soon he would be forced to spew the coffee back out.

"Please, save you modesty for when I'm done swallowing," he said after he was done.

It was my turn to laugh. "Fine."

I looked down on the counter and saw the binder that Edward had brought for our first tutoring session, but on top of it was something new.

"You're reading _To Kill A Mockingbird _now? What happened to _Les Mis?"_

"Finished it."

"Wow, impressive."

Edward only chuckled as he averted his eyes to his book. "Have you read this one yet?"

I shook my head no. "I did see the movie though."

"The one with Gregory Peck?"

I felt an immediate blush enter my cheeks and I had to look away before I started comparing Gregory with Edward. That was just the lowest of the lows. It couldn't happen.

"Something wrong Bella?"

I turned when I heard my name and right away I knew it was a bad idea. I took in Edwards blue v-neck shirt and his faded blue jeans and realized that his hair was smoothed back in just the way the classy Gregory Peck had it in Roman Holiday.

Uh-oh.

"Umm Bella are you still in there?" Edward was moving his hand in front of my face, trying to bring me back to earth and away from this psychotic unknown territory.

I blinked rapidly before putting a too big of a smile on my face. "Yeah fine, completely coherent."

"Where did you go?" Was that concern I saw on his face?

"Umm Gregory Peck land."

_Liar._

"Well I guess…that's understandable. Tanya, has a thing for him too."

"Tanya?" It was my turn to look confused.

"My best friend. Her name is Tanya."

I didn't want to be rude and say something like, "Wow I didn't know you had any friends," so I opted for, "Oh how nice."

_And the winner of the less than Five Syllable award goes to Isabella Moron Swan. _

"I don't get it."

"What don't you get?"

"How you get it."

"Oh."

Edward and I had been working at the diner for the past two hours and it felt like I was finally getting somewhere. After our surprisingly not so awkward banter when I got here, Edward went right to work in teaching me his mysterious Spanish ways. Okay they actually weren't that mysterious seeing as they were all in my textbook, but I did kind of neglect it, so yes, I hailed Edward Cullen's teaching methods mysterious…and accidentally told him so too.

"There's nothing mysterious about the Spanish language."

I made it a point to stare at him rudely.

Edward cracked another crooked smile. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Because you just implied that Spanish isn't mysterious to the girl who is flunking it."

He rolled his eyes at me. "You are not flunking."

"I have an F, Edward."

"Okay so you're flunking."

"Hey," I yelled and slapped Edward on the arm.

Edward cringed away from me. I didn't blame him.

I was a slapper.

It's in my nature.

"God Swan, that's like the 20th time you've hit me today. After all I've done for you." Edward put on a very pathetic sad face that I laughed at.

"And you laugh at those who should be pitied. Do you have a heart in there?" Edward pointed to where my heart was and I unintentionally blushed. _Hey it wasn't my fault that he pointed to my chest. _

Luckily Edward noticed nothing. Something else had caught his eye across the diner. I turned to the direction he was looking at and immediately broke into a smile.

"Jake!"

Jake was in his trademark black shirt and dark jeans and when he saw me, the organ that Edward doubted I had began to pound against my rib cage. But all that came to a crushing halt when Jacob looked to see who I was with. Edward stood still on his stool, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking because his back was to me. I could however tell what Jacob was thinking. His mouth turned into a scowl and his arms were crossed over his chest. Definite Macho Man Stance. Maybe I was hallucinating, but I could sense a tense vibe between Jake and Edward and I didn't know why. Jake gave me one last look and then turned back to Edward who was still sitting next to me. He gave Edward a bitter smile and began walking backwards toward the exit. Once the door shut behind him, I could feel and see the tension disappear from Edward and the diner.

"You mind telling me what just happened," I asked. It was meant to come out as a sure command, but it changed when I saw the stony and dangerous expression on Edward's face. In all my years knowing Edward Cullen, not once did he look like that. I'd witnessed jerk after jerk push him into lockers and screw with his glasses and clothes, but he never retaliated. The look he had on now was something very new and very odd.

Because I never knew that the passive Edward Cullen could feel anger.

"It's nothing Bella. Don't worry about it."

"Listen, Edward, Jacob is one of my best friends. So if you have a problem with him-"

Edward scoffed and shook his head. Was he _seriously _being like this?

"Wow okay, all I'm saying is that-"

"I have a best friend to you know. So I think I know what you're going to say. Play nice, don't cause any trouble. I get it." His tone was absolutely dipped in bitterness.

"Did Jake do something to you Edward? I know how some guys at school can be, but if he did something-"

"Just drop it Bella, please." Instead of the bitterness I heard a few seconds ago, I could now hear agony and desperation coming from Edward. As if the topic was just too much for him to handle.

"Okay. Consider it dropped."

Edward looked up at me and gave me a tiny smile. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me remember? You're the one saving my ass from Mr. Rodriquez and his red pen marking F's all over my papers."

I got a laugh from Edward this time and for some reason I liked it. It wasn't childish but it wasn't manly either. It was a hint of both if that were at all possible.

"So Bella, tell me. Do you think you're good taking the grammar section of the test or do we still need to spend some time over it?"

I smiled a victorious smile. "You know what? I think I'm good. I'm not an expert or anything, but I think I've got all the concepts down." And for the first time, that actually felt true.

"Okay then, so I guess we make are way down to vocabulary." Edward opened the Spanish binder he brought and took out two papers stapled together.

"This is all the vocab words that will be on your test."

I greedily lunged for the papers and skimmed through most of the words. Each Spanish word was lined with its English equivalent and if I wasn't so afraid to be thoroughly embarrassed I would have gotten up out of my stool a sung the Hallelujah chorus.

"Where did you get this?"

"I sort of borrowed the list from Rodriguez the other day."

My smile fell as I realized what his words meant.

"Edward, I can't cheat. I may be failing but I know when I can't do something and cheating is one of them."

Edward looked up at me and smiled probably one of the most genuine smiles ever. "It's not cheating. It's getting a head start. He's passing out this list tomorrow. Swan, I may be a helpful chump, but I'm not helpful enough to aid you in cheating. That's not why I decided to tutor you."

I sighed in relief at his words. "Let me guess, it was my charm over the phone that was the deciding factor wasn't it?"

"There we are with the modesty again."

I chuckled and resumed looking over the list again and thanking my lucky stars that I was somehow good at memorizing.

"So look that over tonight and come back to the library tomorrow and I'll test you on what you learned. Sound good?"

I looked up into Edward's eyes and for a second there, I kind of saw what my mom was talking about earlier today. Edward Cullen was…dare I say it…super mega foxy awesome hot.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

**Well well well. Looks like little Bella is finally seeing the light! I for one would have stalked Gregory Peck during his youth, but sadly I live in this generation where attractive comes in the form of an it called Pauly D. What the hell Jersey Shore! Life's unfair that way I guess. You've got to admit, Gregory Peck and our lovely Edward are Super mega foxy awesome hot! What woman can resist. Oh and total sidenote, if you're a Harry Potter fan, Super mega foxy awesome hot comes from **_**A Very Potter Musical **_**on youtube. It's a must see parody play! Don't kill me! When it comes to HP vs. Twilight, I'm Switzerland…eh eh get it…ok enough. **

**I'm super stoked to see what else we've got in store for E and B and what about Jake showing up? I almost thought I was going to have the shit hit the fan there and then. But no. We shall all wait and see! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think. **

**Lots of fabulous love, **

**Olivia.**


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